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60th ANNUAL Once again with great gratitude we thank those who volunteered their services at the burro races: Mike Kendall KCØATI, Jim Stitt KAØNZZ, Nancy Stitt KØNNC and Jerry, Steve Cearly KØIBM, Ben and friends, Jim Jones KØHY, Cat Bloom KAØCAT, Bob Knisely KCØFLZ, Bryan and Danielle, Dutch Muetz KØAWS, Pete Krause NEØT, Russ Young WØEXR, Ray Thompson WØIVB, Judy Thompson KØWGN, Bruce Talley WA9APQ, Marsha Talley KB9VLD, Tom Evans KEØOC, Michael Dwyer NØZAP, Bob Dotson KDØBRA, Jack Frank WØDSV, Sharon Heck NØDSV. Every year we are grateful for the fine work you do. The weather was not all that great. At Fairplay it was cool, cloudy and rainy at times. At the top of Mosquito pass, North London Mine and other check points, they had hail along with rain. At Leadville the sun was shining when the race started but soon turned nasty. Going to the top of the pass was treacherous with the lightning, hail, rain and cold temperatures. Ralph Herzog had to drop out on the way back at check point 2 due to hypothermia. Mike KCØATI was at the top of the pass for both races and did a great job in spite of horrible conditions. He was unable to drive to top of the pass from Fairplay due to a snowbank at North London mine which blocked the road. He drove to Leadville to reach the top. Some vehicles were able to reach the top from Fairplay during the Leadville race so Mike was able to drive back on the Fairplay side. At Fairplay there were 10 racers who ran the long race and 15 who ran the short race. Bobby Lewis won the long race and John Vincent won the short race. At Leadville there were 13 racers who ran the long race and 6 who ran the short race. Hal Walter won the long race and Barb Dolan won the short race. There were no injuries except for Ralph Herzog who had to drop out because of hypothermia. Thank you Judy and Ray for your assistance in helping Ralph. Sometimes Hams find themselves in need of help. Neal thought he was taking a short cut to check point 5 when he realized he took a wrong turn and was going up Ball Mt. He was turning around when he discovered he had NO brakes! He went down the side of the mountain and hit some trees that stopped him. Special thanks to Michael NØZAP, Jim KØHY, Cat KAØCAT, Bruce WA9APQ and Marsha KB9VLD who worked very hard to rescue him. He wasn't hurt but sore for a couple of days. Neal wrote an article about his experience which is in the PCRC QUA news letter and on the PCRC web site. We are very thankful he was not injured. The Good Lord was with him all the way! Thank you for helping and looking out for the racers welfare who appreciate your being there for them. As we have said so many times it takes special people to volunteer and you are all very special !!!! We hope to see you all again next year. Until then we wish you a HAPPY, HEALTHY, GREAT YEAR !!!!! 73 and 88, Dolores KBØEKH & Neal KØUEM “PHISHING”
WARNING From the ARRL letter Attention All
Amateurs...
Bailey Dayz Review The new 10' x 20' shelter was a great improvement! (Pictures below) As a result of the more open and inviting atmosphere, we had a good number of people stop by to chat. Several expressed interest in attending a PCRC meeting. One couple was very interested in getting licensed, because their son had recently obtained his license, and told them they had to! :-) I would like to thank everyone who assisted – Sharon (NØDSV), Dutch (KØAWS), Pete (NEØT), Mike (KCØATI), Padre (WØWPD), and Bob (KDØBRA). Getting the booth set up took about 2 hours. This could be expedited in the future by better organization of the component parts, and instructions to properly sequence tasks and better allow for multiple simultaneous activities. In other words, better communications – what a concept for a radio club! :-) Since this was the first time we have done most of this, I think it went very well! We had communications capabilities on HF (20 meters), VHF (2 meters), and UHF (70 cm). Unfortunately, 20 meters was pretty much dead. In the future I would like to try adding digital capabilities, and pre-arranged contacts on HF, VHF, and UHF so that we could demonstrate actual communications, and allow the public to get involved. Obviously this would require more planning and additional participation, but I think it is a reasonable and desirable goal. We also had the Walter Cronkite video, Ham Radio Today, which features the Hayman Fire, continuously running. While it did attract some attention, because this is the 2nd year we have done this, and the monitor is difficult to see in the bright outdoor light, I think we can drop that in the future. Maybe replace it with a spectrum analysis display, or ???? The booth was located in front of the Forest Service offices, and was ideal. Assuming that Bailey Dayz includes Main Street next year, we plan to request the same location. I think that Bailey Dayz provides an excellent opportunity for us to make the public more aware of what we do and how important it is, as well as giving us an opportunity to practice and become more proficient. But, to realize its potential, we need more involvement. I think we should establish a Bailey Dayz committee to begin planning for next year. I also think that someone on that committee should be actively involved with those who are planning Bailey Dayz, so that we can assist in making Bailey Dayz safer and more enjoyable for all.
ARES D-6 REPEATERS AND LOST
HIKERS
SUPPORT: On the evening of May 26, 2008 a call from Roger KØYY on the PCRC repeater system (146.895 & 146.910) who was looking for stations to monitor the system. Roger was up at the Burning Bear Camp ground on the Guanella Pass Road with the Alpine SAR group. They were looking for two overdue hikers in very poor weather conditions: fog, rain and snow. Padre WØWPD had alerted me that Roger was on 2 meters and looking for monitoring stations. The campground is on the Southern side of the Pass and this makes it convenient for the Hams in the SAR teams to use the Kenosha repeater. In fact, that location is really the only repeater that they can use to get to the outside world. The Alpine SAR has 17 Hams in it’s group.
SUCCESS: THE HIKERS WERE LOCATED and Roger got home about 00:30. YOUR PCRC VE TEAM We have more than a dozen “Regular”and “Reserve” ARRL certified members on our team. Not all are needed each session. Our first test session was July, 1995. Some years ago we developed a “Philosophy and Policy” document for current and future team members. It serves us well, and helps to filter anyone who wants to be a VE member with the wrong motivation and who doesn’t really qualify and meet our high standards. From time to time someone asks to join us. We are open to ARRL certified VEs, but by the ARRL rules we are not obliged to accept anyone who applies either in general or for a particular session. We require aspiring VEs to carefully observe our sessions a minimum of two times before even being considered for TEAM membership. It’s a TEAM decision. Anyway, I am very proud of the service our members have rendered since 1995 and grateful to all, some of whom have deceased and/or retired. Our longest serving “Regular” members are Dolores and Neal Hart (KBØEKH and KØUEM). Over the years candidates have come from Aspen, Breckenridge, Co. Springs, Denver, Dillon, Parker and Nathrop .. besides many Metro communities. Not a few have said they came because of our reputation. Some have come from where they were disturbed by poor organization, noise of all kinds and delays in starting or processing a session. We’ve been complimented many times because of the order, quiet and efficiency of our team. We know we’re not perfect, but we strive to be. Following are just three of the many unsolicited and voluntary comments sent us, as a sample from many over the years. (With minor editing to avoid identification). I wanted to send you a personal e-mail and thank
you. You and the other members on the Park County Radio Club VEC team were encouraging and helpful in
pursuit of my goal of becoming a Ham. Now that I'm almost retired I plan on devoting considerable time
pursuing DXing and general rag chewing. I hope to give you a shout as soon as my antennas are in place. Please stay in touch.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Padre, thanks again for the info. {Your}
team was very pleasant and it was nice to meet them as limited as I did
being a testing situation. I'll be in touch sometime soon. I just wanted to mention to you that my son and I
thoroughly enjoyed the Park County Radio Club's VE session. It was the
first VE session for both of us, and we couldn't have felt more relaxed
and welcomed. Finally, there are at least twenty current members
of the PCRC who became aware of us because of our VE team and sessions (for
first license and/or upgrade).
“THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE” Adapted and Excerpted from “QUA” Feb. 2002 Please forgive the pretension title. I guess after over 60 years as a Ham I have developed a “few” ideas about Ham operating. Maybe they’re worth something. And maybe not. But, please bear with me, because I put a lot of this article in the light of emergency service. As a former two times per week NCS on the 75 Mtr. Co. Weather Net I had contact with as many as 50 Hams each Tuesday and Friday. For the most part I heard good operating. But there are times and events which would make my blood run cold (if not boil!) were it to be an emergency net operation. Even aside from the “emergency” business, what I often heard is just plain poor operating practice. Here’s an example of two or three. Because of weak signals and QRM, more than one morning I asked, “Is that a mobile station calling?” After a slight pause, and no other response, there comes another fellow who says, “I don’t hear him, but I’m here.” Really??? What if I was hearing the mobile, and the other fellow wasn’t? What if it was an emergency? On many occasions, as I sign with one WX station, with a list of 3 or 4 more to call up, here comes someone who just has to get in NOW! No emergency, you understand. He/she is not “short time.” He/she wants to be recognized NOW --- and everyone else can just wait. Maybe he/she was not listening before the mike was keyed. That’s another mistake in net operations. A third example. The NCS asks a station to recheck to supply a missed call sign or location. There is no response. Then other stations start checking in without the NCS having inviting further new check ins. (I hear this frequently on other nets in which I participate). Typically the NCS lets others know he/she has cleared the list and is now waiting for further calls. The best practice is to LISTEN, follow the course of the net, and WAIT YOUR TURN --- in any net situation. Proper operating on the WX net is important, of course. How much more important it is in an emergency, or even a practice session. 73. 2007 Conifer Christmas
Parade Once again PCRC assisted the Conifer Chamber of Commerce with communications for the 2007 Christmas Parade. Thanks to Dutch - KØAWS (Judge's Stand), Pete - NEØT (Coordinator 'Shadow'), Paul - KØBLM (Start), Mark - KD5DKQ and his XYL (Staging) it went well (I was at Check-In/Finish). And special thanks to parade coordinator Kathy Mastroianni for arranging the wonderful weather we had :-). Instead of worrying about hypothermia I was thinking I should have put on sunscreen! I am glad the NWS forecast was, errrr, pessimistic :-). As always, we had a few 'opportunities'. This is what makes public service communications such a wonderful way to prepare for emergencies. The following is based upon excellent feedback from the volunteers involved. The parade staging route had been revised, as shown on the Parade Route Map. This was an excellent modification, and we should have provided an additional Ham to cover the additional length of staging, but unfortunately did not have enough volunteers to do so. Another modification, unknown by me until parade day, was that floats did not have to line up in staging based upon their registration number as in the past, but could line up randomly. This is also a good change, but required some additional work by parade representatives and additional communications. The parade representative had to make some modifications to the random line up - as Mark well put it "you don't want a walking group directly behind a horse group" :-). This made an additional Ham for staging more necessary, and possibly the use of an additional frequency. Also, because the sequence in the parade was random, Judging needed to be informed what the actual sequence was, which required a considerable amount of communications between someone near the Start and Judging. I initially asked Paul (Start) to handle this, but Pete (Coordinator 'Shadow') did an excellent job, allowing Paul to continue his interesting experiences with traffic control ;-). The biggest problem here is that background QRM at both locations (as well as surprise, and thankfully brief QRM from a WD5... repeater!) made it difficult to copy the information. I don't have a good solution for this, would appreciate suggestions. Another good, but as I understand it, 'last minute' change was to revise the staging route for horse groups. Rather than following the same route as floats, they staged at West Jeff Elementary, then followed a somewhat circuitous route to join with the floats at South Russell Avenue and Holbrook Street. Additional Hams were requested to assure the horse groups stayed on course, which unfortunately we could not provide. In the future I think the course problems can be solved by signage, but we should plan to provide an additional Ham at South Russell Avenue and Holbrook Street to assist with coordination of horse groups and floats. As in the past, the parade staff were using their own portable radios (GMRS I believe), and of course Elk Creek Fire-Rescue was using their frequencies. Paul established a link with Elk Creek which could be used in case of emergency. But Paul makes a very good point that we should be aware of the parade staff communications so that we can reprioritize our assistance if necessary. I believe we should verify that they are using GMRS, and if so, I think I can borrow a pair of GMRS radios for the event next year so that we can provide more interoperable communications assistance. Another issue was that Paul was having difficulty reading my transmissions. I was using a headset connected to the VX-5R - I don't use it often enough for proper operation with the headset to be automatic, and my bad smoking habit makes it necessary to move the mike away from my mouth from time to time ;-). Another good reason for more frequent 'practice' sessions! I very much enjoyed the opportunity to assist with the Conifer Christmas Parade this year, and hope that these comments will assist in making it more productive and enjoyable for all next year. 73 FOLLOW UP TO PHIL ATWATER’S
TECH TALK ON 10-27-07 Phil Atwater, KIØGL, and his wife, Judy, arrived from Golden to demonstrate the "Atwater R1" receiver. Dutch, KØAWS, strung a 40m dipole for the demo and the club members gathered around the 15 tube, double conversion superheterodyne as Phil explained its design. The receiver has an overall gain of 60 dB from antenna to audio, similar to modern tube receivers such as the Drake R4. It has handwound coil sets for the AM broadcast band, and 160 through 20 meters and receives AM, CW and SSB. With Dutch's antenna connected the receiver came alive on the 20 m band and members tuned around and made other adjustments available on the front panel. Comments from the club members were very positive especially regarding the exceptional workmanship and finish of the R1 and its clear reception. Phil said he plans to construct another tube-type receiver and also one made of discrete transistors in the future after retiring. Phil was first licensed in 1968 and is an electrical engineer with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (30 years). He holds an Extra class license and is active on the HF bands, CW and AM. 73 Colorado Relay Race Hi All, after resting up after my long weekend, I thought it is time to THANK the Support on The Colorado Relay last Friday. HOME STATIONS: Jim KAØNZZ; Jim W5EUT; Padre WØWPD. EXCHANGE POINTS: #6 Jeff WØAI; #7 Pete NEØT; #8 Sharon NØDSV; #9 Dwain KBØQBF; #10 Dolores KBØEKH; Neal KØEUM; #11 Dennis KCØSUL. Except for being windy and somewhat cold up at the top of Guanella Pass first thing in the morning, the weather stayed bright all day. We had no problems to speak of. There were a number of times that we would double check on when team numbers were checked through a Check Point. These questions were posed by the Volunteers double checking their lists and the last I had heard everyone was accounted for. I believe there was a mix up or two with the pickup vans and only one phone call had to be made, but not for an emergency. Overall I feel it went well. There were a few slips on procedures and I was also at fault on that. It was a long day and THANK YOU ALL for a good day. Dutch Muetz KØAWS. ARES District 6 EC. LINKING PROTOCOLS With the linking between Dick Mountain and Kenosha Range repeaters up and running, I have some thoughts regarding certain matters. FIRST, note the linking takes place by way of the 448.175 equipment at Kenosha and Dick Mountain. SECOND, because of distance and terrain involved the linking is subject to weather in general, and propagation in particular. There will be times when the machines might not appear to be linked, but they are. The time of day is also a factor. THIRD, when on any machine hesitate just a moment after you key up before speaking, to allow the link to activate. (“Waiting” is always a good idea even when not using a linked system). Remember, in our system (so far) there are three repeaters in the link up. FOURTH, courtesy tones on any repeater or system serve an important purpose. Try not to ignore them (as I often do, to my chagrin). The tones indicate the person just transmitting has unkeyed. Sometimes you can’t tell by the conversation!!! Having courtesy tones also reminds us to take that pause (before the machine goes to stand by) to allow someone else to call in, maybe with priority traffic, with an important query or contribution to the QSO. FIFTH, as a general practice, if you don’t make contact on a call you’ve made, and quit calling, a nice gesture of courtesy to others, who may wish to use the machine, is to say something like, “No contact. ABØxxx clear,” or “ABØxxx is monitoring,” or “ABØxxx is standing by.” This courtesy is especially appreciated on busy machines. ID’ING CABLES A while ago I heard or read about a neat trick for identifying cables: power, coax or whatever. Those neat plastic “things” around the necks of bread sacks, potato sacks or other grocery items are just about perfect for ID’ing cables. The openings on them are of different sizes, and, without modification, can often be used “as is” on different cables. They often come in many different colors which might help identify the cable even further. Write on the “thing” with a marker, and place it on the cable to ID it (at each end if necessary). It works very well for me. Does anyone need some “things”? I have a very modest supply, which I’ll bring to the July 28 meeting. And, they’re free!!!!!! Bailey Day 2007 Per The Flume, attendance at Bailey Day 2007 was estimated at from 6,000 to 6,500 people, the most ever. Thus, Bailey Day continues to be an excellent opportunity to get information out to a significant number of people in the community. I have worked at the PCRC/DSV booth at Bailey Day for several years. Each year we have modified our approach somewhat, providing different 'features' to get attention. This year the Bailey Day committee organized a children's scavenger hunt to attract attention to non-profit booths, and we participated with an excellent flyer created by Sharon. It did draw a number of people to the booth, and several of the parents commented that the flyer was a great idea. I hope that they will continue with this idea next year. This year was the first year that we have included a vertical antenna at the booth (connected to my FT-897D) - a homemade dual-band 'Arrow' j-pole mounted on a 10' mast. Several people commented that it was easy to find our booth, "just look for the antenna". Obviously, it did get some attention. It would be nice if we could add a vertical HF antenna next year. Also this year we had a laptop computer looping an ARRL video presentation which features the Hayman Fire. This did not get as much attention as I had expected. I think one reason for this is that, since we were running the booth on battery power, I used battery powered speakers, which didn't have enough volume to get over the crowd noise. That wasn't necessary, as the battery had plenty of power, and we had backup batteries available if needed anyway. So, next time we should use better speakers (which I have available). I think the battery powered booth was better than using AC power, as it gave us some practice/experience for 'real' field deployment. We need to create an 'attention getter' to point out that we are battery powered, and why - perhaps a good lead-in to something on ARES, which we need. Another reason why the video didn't get as much attention as I expected was that, as Dutch pointed out, the booth was too crowded. We need to give serious consideration to acquiring a second shelter, and renting 2 spaces next year. What got the most attention this year, as it has in the past, was our display board. Many people stop to look at it. Although I did add some new pictures to it this year, I started thinking about it too late (I'd be a member of Procrastinators Anonymous, but I never get around to joining). This is an area we need to put more effort into for future events. All in all, I think our participation in Bailey Day was a success, and I would like to thank everyone who assisted. 73, Jack Addendum Additional thoughts as discussed in the 7/28/07 meeting: Display:
Maybe a 'story' type approach, i.e., PCRC/ARES is:
Handouts:
Video:
Radio at the booth:
GETTING
READY This
is a dreaded subject. At least
by this writer!!! We’re
close upon the “fire season.” I
know. It’s not a
“comfortable” subject. Nevertheless,
we all have to advert to it, and be prepared. The
recent freedom from fires in our area may have lulled us into a false sense
of security. Which isn’t
good, at all. All
of us need to be prepared, whether or not we are members of ARES.
GETTING
READY means many things to me, besides preparing radio equipment to go. As
we hear/see in the media these days our first concern in any emergency, fire
or not, must be our personal safety, and that of our family and pets. We
are reminded to have an established escape route and meeting place for
family after exiting our homes. I
am slowly gathering medications, important papers, clothing, special
mementoes, pictures, food and water. Convenient
packages are being placed at my “staging” area right inside the
“escape” door, along with radio equipment and my “GO BAG.”
CO
ARES HAS A GREAT WEBSITE. FOR
INFO ON THE GO BAG SEE
http://www.coloradoares.org/
--- CLICK ON
“TRAINING,” THEN UNDER “USEFUL HINTS” CLICK THE FIRST ITEM, “GO
BAG CONTENTS.” There
is a lot posted, and maybe more than the average HAM (ARES or not) needs to
assemble. WHAT
ARE YOU DOING TO BE PREPARED? GET
READY. CW TESTS STILL AVAILABLE Even though CW credit is no longer required for any HAM license (how sad)! our VE team is more than anxious and willing to provide testing for anyone who wishes to satisfy his/her “conscience” about copying CW --- at 5, 13 or even 20 wpm. The standard test (as before) will be used. Two members have already indicated they are interested. Please let me know a day or two before any VE session, and we shall be more than happy to comply. (There is equipment I won’t bring for the usual VE session unless I know your intentions). There is NO CHARGE for just the CW test!!!! That’s Good News, isn’t it? Huh? CW DROPPED --- ALMOST By now everyone --- or almost everyone --- knows after Feb. 23 CW will no longer be a required talent to be licensed to operate as a Ham operator. There are still some questions. Hopefully I can answer clearly here. Midnight on Feb. 23 is the date and time to keep in mind. Until then no one’s operator privileges are changed. No-code techs do NOT have HF privileges until them. After that date and time all TECHS have the same op. privileges as those previously licensed as “Tech with HF Privileges.” Upgrading to General right now (Feb 1, 2007) requires CW (5 wpm) credit. After the above Feb. date and time one can pass the el. 3 (General) exam and upgrade without any CW credit. Those who now have a valid CSCE for el. 3 (General) but no CW credit may take the CSCE (*and other papers) to any VE session and have a “paper upgrade” to General. The customary fee (usually $14) must be paid, even though no exam is taken. The same procedure applies to anyone who might possibly have CSCE credit for both el. 3 (General) and el. 4 (Extra Class). VERY IMPORTANT *Papers which must be presented at ANY and ALL VE sessions include personal ID, originals and photo copies of all current and valid Ham documents (License and CSCE). CSCE documents are good for ONLY 365 days. The first day of the counting is the day the CSCE was issued. If you have any questions about all of this please feel free to contact me at 303-838-6568, or w0wpd@earthlink.net 73,
PCRC MEMBERS’ WEBPAGES Below are excellent pages maintained by some of our members. Take the time to see some great scenery, fantastic photos, and valuable material. Well worth your time. Be sure to let the “owners” know what you think. It’s very likely I don’t have all listed here that are available. Let me know of yours, and I’ll let the rest of the folks know, too! Thank you to the following creators and artists! JACK, WØDSV: DUTCH, KØAWS: http://home.earthlink.net/~fm2/ STEVE, WØCOD: MATT, AFØD: EASY
LINKS ON OUR WEB PAGE Have you used the easy links on our PCRC web page? I’ve found it very fast and efficient, with a great variety.CHECK IT OUT! http://www.ab0pc.org/links.htmSEE WHAT’S ON THERE. THEY ARE THERE FOR YOU!!!!!HOW ABOUT THE LINKS TO ARRL? http://www.ab0pc.org/arrl.htmWHAT MEANS "QUA"?QUA is a seldom used "Q" signal, meaning, "I have news/information for you." Or, with a question mark, means "Do you have any news/information for me?" The name was suggested by Frank, WB4CIW, not long after the club started, and Jeannie Meyers, KGØAO, was secretary and newsletter editor. The newsletter is published at the beginning of even numbered months, containing news of the club, minutes of the last meeting(s), articles relating to Ham Radio, and other items of interest. The editor is Gregg Schobinger, NØTWO, Aurora, CO, The webmaster for the club's page, within which the newsletter is published electronically, also in even months, is Jack Frank, WØDSV, Golden, CO, . |
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