CHAPTERS

CHAPTER 1 SAMPLE - INTRODUCTION
Good Golly Miss Molly, what's this all about?One might hear “N4ZZZ this is K6XXX, Good morning OM, welcome to San Diego. Handle here is Jack, -- Juliet Alpha Charlie Kilo, QTH is El Cajon. You’re not quite full quieting into the machine, about 20% path noise. Your deviation is fine. This repeater W6NWG Whiskey Six Nothing Works Good is located on Mount Palomar. The repeater gets very busy during commute hours so let’s QSY to 146.075, plus offset with a PL of 107.2, QSL”. This is followed by a beep, a quiet period, then the repeater drops off the air. Good Golly Miss Molly, what's this all about? We will cover all this jargon and terminology throughout the book, but here are quick answers so you don’t have to flip through the Chapters.
CHAPTER 2 SAMPLE - YOUR FIRST VHF/UHF Radio
Typically the new licensee purchases a Handi-Talkie (HT) for VHF/UHF, but later find they are using their first radio mostly in a mobile or at a home base station. A mobile rig can be easily switched back and forth between the vehicle and a base location and offers considerable advantages over an HT. Keep in mind that the VHF/UHF radios are for the most part line of sight transmission and reception; however, repeaters can extend the range considerably. HF is the spectrum for long-range skip communications.
This is not to bad-mouth the HTs, they are great for carrying in your shirt pocket or belt clip for pedestrian use, public relations activities, and traveling light. Just be aware of their limitations and intended use. They certainly can be used for base and mobile applications, but better antennas and DC power sources are definitely something to consider when you settle in on an HT.
CHAPTER 3 SAMPLE - OPERATING SIMPLEX
The communication range between Amateur VHF/UHF FM mobile and hand held radios at ground level, operating simplex (direct) is about five to fifteen miles for mobiles, and just a couple of miles for hand held transceivers. The range depends on the band of operation, transmitter powers, antenna heights, obstructions, antenna gains and receiver sensitivity or noise figures. Essentially it is line of sight.
CHAPTER 4 SAMPLE - HOW REPEATERS WORK
Half duplex (Semi Duplex) - a communications mode in which a radio transmits and receives on two different frequencies but performs only one of these operations at any given time. In half duplex, only one station can talk at a time. Your VHF or UHF radio is operating half duplex when set up for standard repeater use. Example you transmit on 146.13 MHz (can't hear the other station while transmitting). Then you listen on 146.73 as the other station transmits. Your radio automatically transmits on 146.13 MHz when you press the PTT switch and reverts back to 146.73 MHz to listen when you release the PTT.
CTCSS Continuously Tone Coded Squelch System, also known as Subaudible Tone and "PL" (Private-Line, a Motorola trade name). Commonly used for repeater access. These are specific frequencies between 67 and 254.1 Hz. Hereafter referred to as PL for shortness and common use. PL has encode and decode functions. Encode sends PL to the repeater. Decode is set in your receiver to detect the PL from the repeater - see Tone Squelch below. PL frequencies and corresponding ICOM and Motorola numbers are given at the end of this chapter. In Amateur Radio, many repeaters require users to send the correct PL tone continuously to use the repeater. In fact, some coordinating groups insist on Pled repeaters. This may mean the repeater is "closed," for use only by members, or it may simply be used to avoid being keyed up by users of another repeater on the same frequency pair. Usually PL is required for phone patching.
CHAPTER 5 SAMPLE - PROGRAMMING
Four ways to program an HT, Base, or Mobile Rig:
1. Using the manual -- usually the sequence is scattered throughout the manual. Have fun. Boggles many a mind. But programming some rigs are more intuitive than others.
2. Read the manual thoroughly and make up your own cheat sheet. Step by step instructions made by you to be used by you.
3. Get a programming cable and software for your rig. Now you can easily enter all functions in your computer then upload to the rig. This really simplifies the process.
4. Buy a Programming guide - a cheat sheet pre-made for your model rig. See N6FN Nifty Accessories - URL: http://niftyaccessories.com/
Maybe best to walk before you run. First tackle the easy one, program a simplex channel. Then try programming a non-Pled repeater. Next, program in a Pled repeater. Then a Pled repeater with tone squelch. For a simplex channel, first determine how to access the VFO and put in the desired frequency. Next, find the information for offset. Check that the offset is neither plus or minus, i.e., it is in simplex, then memory write all.
For a Pled Repeater, invoke the VFO mode and enter the repeater output frequency, set the offset value (e.g., 600 kHz) plus or minus as required. Next enter the tone frequency, tone activation, then memory write all. Many beginners enter the tone frequency, but forget to activate the tone. See Chapter 4 for definitions of VFO, offset, PL, etc. Here is HT programming for a popular model, the ICOM IC-T2H.
CHAPTER 6 SAMPLE -ANTENNAS, POWER SOURCES, VSWR, AND DECIBELS
ANTENNAS: Tests show the rubber duck has about minus 5db gain (see decibels below) compared to a quarter wave antenna held at shoulder height. In terms of effective radiated power (ERP), a 5-Watt HT with a rubber duck antenna, held at shoulder height radiates an effective power of about 1.5 watts. Placing the HT on your belt could attenuate the signal another 20db, reducing ERP to only 15 milliwatts! UHF results were even worse.
VSWR: Modern solid state radios hate high VSWRs and you must check the VSWR when installing antennas. VSWR is an indication of forward and reflected power. Reflected power is undesirable and results from a mismatch in impedance between the transmitter and the antenna. If the antenna is too long, it will resonate at a lower frequency than desired, conversely if the antenna is too short, it will resonate at a higher frequency than desired, analogy - like short and long guitar strings.DECIBELS: The decibel (1/10 Bel) or dB, is a means of expressing the gain of an active device (such as an amplifier) or the loss in a passive device (such as an attenuator or length of cable). It is simply the ratio of output to input expressed in logarithmic form. It is also used to express the gain of an antenna relative to a reference antenna. Without getting too far into the math, here are some handy easy to remember rules of thumb.
Sealed Lead Acid (SLA). These batteries use the same technology as your car battery. They are relatively inexpensive, and provide 200-500 recharge cycles depending on usage. SLA battery packs give high capacity but are fairly heavy, and are more sensitive to temperature and deep discharge/overcharge than other batteries. SLA batteries should be stored in their charged state as leaving them uncharged for long periods can cause permanent damage. Some very high capacity battery packs are available and can be easily adapted to Amateur transceivers - such as a 6 amp-hour battery used for car models.
POWER SUPPLIES: A mobile or an HT can be operated in a base situation by using a DC power supply to convert 117VAC to the level required by the radio. Many are available with a 12VDC output to directly power a mobile radio. Powering an HT from a 12-Volt supply will require building a regulator circuit to achieve the proper voltage. Be sure and check your manual for the maximum voltage input and current requirements.
CHAPTER 7 SAMPLE - USING REPEATERS
If the repeater is quiet, key your transmitter and announce "AC6V listening", this is short hand for "AC6V listening for any call". Or “AC6V listening - anyone on frequency?" Some just announce simply "AC6V". Others give an idea of their situation - "AC6V Mobile", "AC6V Maritime Mobile". Although not as common today, "AC6V monitoring" was at one time used by control operators and in some areas may still be the case, but this seems to have given way to where monitoring and listening are now synonymous.
Don't call CQ on repeaters (HF Band Stuff) -- many VHFers don't savvy it and just isn't used on FM repeaters (on VHF SSB OR CW - Yes). If you insist on calling CQ on a repeater, it is not against the rules – but 16 old time VHF hams will come back to you with the lecture “We don’t use CQ on repeaters”.
CHAPTER 8 SAMPLE - PHONETICS, Q-SIGNALS, CALLSIGNS
PHONETICS: The recommended phonetics for Amateur Radio use is the ITU phonetic alphabet. These are generally understood by hams in all countries on all bands of operation. See Table of ITU Phonetics. These are a must for emergency use and should be used for routine communications as well.
Some folks use DXing phonetics -- such as King Six Japan Norway instead of Kilo Six Juliet November. This is common on HF but not on VHF/UHF. Others use police phonetics, King Six Adam Mary, but both DX and police phonetics best not be used on VHF/UHF as many are not familiar with them. And still others use cutie phonetics, Karl Six Always Killing Time; these make a person's callsign easy to remember and are often used.
Q-SIGNALS: Expert Ham CW ops use upwards of 50 Q signals, but only 9 of them are common on VHF/UHF FM repeaters. Other Q-Signals are discouraged only because many repeater users have no idea what they mean. QTR -- What ?? (Just ask for the time!) What's your 10-84 --- huh? (Just ask for their phone number!). And 10 codes smack of CB lingo. QSO Can you communicate with ... direct or by relay? I can communicate with ... direct (or by relay through ...)Common Usage -- A 2-Way Contact, a conversation.
CALLSIGNS: There was a time when you could tell where a Ham was residing by their district number. But this was changed to allow Hams to keep their callsign when they relocated. In the USA, the time is long past that you can tell where a USA ham resides. You can have a W2 call (NY & NJ) and live in California (W6). Following are the USA District numbers and states.
CHAPTER 9 SAMPLE - FUNNY NOISES ON THE REPEATER. MYTHS
CAPTURING: If two stations are transmitting at the same time (doubling) on the same frequency – it creates problems. If the two stations are about equal in strength to the repeater, both may be heard, typically with a heterodyne or beat note. When one of the stations is stronger than the other, the stronger station "captures" the weaker one and the strong guy wins. This is in contrast to AM or SSB where both may be heard. So if you have a weak signal and double with a strong station, you will not be heard!
DEVIATION: Often heard is “I'll raise power so I'll be louder”. Since repeaters are frequency modulation not AM or SSB, as long as your signal has engaged the repeater limiters (full quieting), an increase in power will not make you louder, since the audio is proportional to the FM deviation (swing) and not amplitude. It may help get rid of path noise. Another is “I’m near the repeater, so that’s why I am so loud”. Nope – as long as you are full quieting – distance doesn’t affect volume.
CHAPTER 10 SAMPLE - COPS AND JAMMERS
If a jammer appears or some one not identifying, swearing, throwing carriers, etc --- DON'T acknowledge them, they are looking for attention -- don't give it to them. IGNORE IGNORE is the drill. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen -- it's a big world out there, and there are some nuts. Some of them find a Ham Radio now and then, and discover the delight of offending an audience and the power of holding down the PTT key. The key word here is audience, they are seeking to disrupt and get into a bru-ha ha.
CHAPTER 11 SAMPLE - INSIDE A REPEATER
A key factor in keeping the transmit energy out of the receiver is a duplexer which allows the repeater to operate on a common antenna and transmit and receive simultaneously on fairly close frequencies. Several types are in use, but a typically one is a notch duplexer. Notch duplexers are large cavity type filters with very high Q and narrow bandwidth to the two frequencies involved and use tunable notches.
Assume that we modulate with a constant 1000-Hertz pure sine wave with the amplitude near the maximum allowed in repeater systems, then the RF signal would swing back and between 146.126 and 146.134 MHz at a 1000-Hertz rate. The carrier frequency increases during the positive cycle of the modulating signal and decreases during the negative portion. The difference between 146.126 and 146.134 MHz is +/- 4 kHz and is termed deviation. The modulating frequency could well be a PL tone e.g., 107.2 Hertz. but with less amplitude hence less deviation, typically +/- 500 Hz.
This deviation is proportional to the AMPLITUDE of the modulating signal. Note that this does not affect the AMPLITUDE of the transmitted FM signal – only its frequency. When you speak softly the deviation is low, conversely shouting will increase deviation. If the radio is misadjusted or you shout too loud – the system deviation limits are exceeded and may result in distortion. In Amateur Radio FM radios, the maximum deviation is typically +/- 4.5 kHz. Deviation limits for CTCSS tones are typically +/- 500 Hz.
CHAPTER 12 SAMPLE - CROSS BAND REPEATING, IRLP, ECHOLINKCross band repeating (CBR) is a feature with some VHF-UHF dual band radios that simply repeats what it receives on one band and automatically retransmit it on the another band. This might be used when hiking or camping. Your vehicle is on a hill and you are in a valley below. You can take an HT with you and transceive to your mobile radio which will amplify and cross band repeat to a repeater or other users. Some HTs can control the mobile rig allowing frequency changes and voice feedback of the changes. Several configurations can be used; Simplex-To-Simplex CBR, Simplex-To-Repeater CBR, One-Way-CBR, and various modes of duplexing, simplex, half, full, etc. Be sure to read the FCC rules regarding cross band repeating. See Part 97.119 (a) Identification; Part 97.201 Auxiliary Stations.VoIp: Ham voice internet connections are a recent introduction and are great for everyone, but especially those that cannot get on HF. They use a network protocol called VoIP (Voice over IP). These allow Amateurs to contact other Amateurs worldwide. Currently, modes are IRLP, ILINK, ECHOLINK, and WIRES IITM. We will discuss the three most popular modes, IRLP, EchoLink, and WIRES IITM

CB Radio Channels

CB Radio Channels
Channel Frequency Channel Frequency
1 26.965 21 27.215
2 26.975 22 27.225
3 26.985 23 27.255
4 27.005 24 27.235
5 27.015 25 27.245
6 27.025 26 27.265
7 27.035 27 27.275
8 27.055 28 27.285
9 27.065 29 27.295
10 27.075 30 27.305
11 27.085 31 27.315
12 27.105 32 27.325
13 27.115 33 27.335
14 27.125 34 27.345
15 27.135 35 27.355
16 27.155 36 27.365
17 27.165 37 27.375
18 27.175 38 27.385
19 27.185 39 27.395
20 27.205 40 27.405

Introduction to How Ham Radio Works

A teen in Florida makes friends over the airwaves with a ham in Germany. An aircraft engineer in Washington participates in an annual contest and exchanges call signs with hams in 100 countries during a single weekend. In North Carolina, volunteers pass health and welfare messages in the aftermath of a hurricane.
This mix of fun, public service, friendship and convenience is the main feature of amateur radio. The true origin of the term "ham" seems to have been lost, but there are several theories. It may simply be a shortcut way of saying the first syllable of amateur radio, or it may have originally been used as an insult. Hams start out in amateur radio for many reasons, but they all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology, regulations and operating principles. Tune InHow Radio WorksRadio SpectrumDiscovery.com: Radio Telescopes

Ham radio can be very portable and affordable. In this article, we will look at ham radio and show you how to get started in this wireless world!

If you've ever operated at a Field Day event, and especially if you were supposed to bring items, you know that, without fail, you will forget something. In my case I didn't quite forget the missing item; it was more a matter of it being mislabeled. I had wanted to put up a banner proclaiming ST LOUIS COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE. I had the right container, but the wrong banner was inside of it. The banner I had brought said HAM RADIO DEMONSTRATION. Since I was sure that everyone had already figured that out, I didn't bother putting up the banner.
Having set up field stations on numerous occasions, I have developed at least modest skills at doing so. But I must say that setting up a digital station in the field compounds the complexity of the task. Getting my computer wired and up and running always takes a lot of time. And well before I had finished, Mark, who is the SLSRC's president, was standing on a bench announcing that the official start of Field Day operations was 5 minutes away.
Mark is a great fellow. He is smart, generous and impossibly energetic. And -- when he wants to be -- quite loud (try to imagine the late pitchman Billy Mays running on high octane). Mark warned us about the excessive heat and, in no uncertain terms, demanded that we drink lots of water.
I was well prepared for that, at least. I had a cooler with ice, water and even a washcloth. I used all three quite liberally during the event (an icy washcloth across the forehead can perform wonders on a hot day).
When the event started at 1 PM local time, there was an immediate blitz of activity all around me. There were operators everywhere, and it seemed that surely every conceivable mode and frequency was being used. Factually, though, I knew that at least some modes weren't being used, so I hastened to get my digital station up and running.
Aquatic Wizards
It's always a hassle. It works moderately well back home in my shack, but anytime that I go out into the field, things stop working. I know for a fact that it has to do with things being plugged and unplugged. The computer gets confused. The TNC (terminal node controller) gets confused. The applications software gets confused. But above all, Windows XP gets confused. Now, most of the time I'm happy with Windows XP. For me, at least, it has been vastly more stable than its predecessors. But one sure way to crash my laptop computer is to unplug something from a USB port while I'm running packet radio.
"So, don't unplug anything!" you are saying.
Well, if I want to switch from one packet operation to another (say go from dumb terminal packet to Winlink) or even just change frequencies on my radio, I have to unplug the TNC. I don't know why. It's just a fact. And since it always causes my computer to display the Blue Screen of Death, I usually shut down everything first.
Yes. It made for a long turn-around time. So I did it as little as possible.
Most of the time, though, I was banging away on the keyboard, sending out messages and getting no response. I kept wondering when Craig Klimczak was going to appear on the Missouri Emergency Packet Network or respond to my Winlink e-mail messages. I didn't know that he was having problems of his own at the SLARC site and would not be able to get his packet station on the air.
While I was waiting for replies someone came up and bellowed, "Are you drinking water!?"
I heard that a lot. Apparently Mark had a squad of water-enforcement marshals running around making sure that no one got so engrossed in operating that they failed to keep themselves hydrated. I would assure the enforcers that I was fine and wave my water bottle at them, but they always eyed me suspiciously. I wanted to say, "It's not the heat, I always look this terrible." But I didn't think that would help my case.
Snow Thrills
My station had occasional visitors. Quite a few local ham radio operators are members of both ARES and the SLSRC, so I knew many of the people at the site. Some of them came over to chat for a while. Two people did show more than a casual interest in what I was doing. I managed to convince one of them, Kyle Albertina, KC9IMA, to sit down and generate a Winlink message.
Chuck Wehking, N0EIS, came by quite often. He was also very concerned about everyone staying cool and hydrated. He'd brought a lot of bottled water, and at some point he ran out, bought a small fan and plunked it down in front of my face. Did I really look worse than everyone else?
Maybe so, because Harry Ferris, K0QS, came up and asked, "What flavor snow cone would you like?"
I had noticed that someone had brought a machine that made chipped ice, but I hadn't known that they had a complete snowcone station on hand.
"Cherry," I replied.
Harry returned a few minutes later with a cherry snowcone. And let me tell you, while I had that snowcone in my hand, all of the problems of the day melted away. Later, however, I found that the snowcone had dripped into my go-bag. I spent a lot of time the next day cleaning the cherry goo off of my equipment.
I only stayed at the site for three hours, but Steve, the Emergency Coordinator, showed up just as I was tearing down my station, so there was a continued ARES presence.
I doubt that I earned the SLSRC Field Day effort any points, especially since I didn't make any contacts. But now that I think about it, I did get a response to one of my Winlink e-mail messages. It was from my wife Nancy, who was putting in overtime at her job. Does that make it Field Day 0.99?
Editor's note: ARRL member Gary Hoffman, KB0H, lives in Florissant, Missouri. He's been a ham since 1995. Hoffman says his column's name -- "The Amateur Amateur" -- suggests the explorations of a rank amateur, not those of an experienced or knowledgeable ham. His wife, Nancy, is N0NJ. Hoffman has a ham-related Web page. Readers are invited to contact the author vi

learn Morse code

Stoney Creek International Weekend Morse Code Event This is a quick and easy way to show your boys and learn Morse Code.Original idea by Max Sernoffsky, from Buffalo, NY.Some adaptations, explainations, and ideas added by Chris Rankin, from Hermitage, PA. - An easy way to remember which side is dot and which side is dash for signalling with flags: Your council strip is shaped like a dash, and is on your left sleeve. The patrol medallion is shaped like a dot, and is on the right.- Remember, both hands in front of your body indicate a new word.- There are never more than 4 dots or dashes in a row (in the alphabet). This works a whole lot better after you copy this over to a sheet of papera couple of times. It seems to stick in your mind better, too (text drawingslike these usually tend to be rather crude; recopy this freehand onto paperbefore distributing). -----------------------------------------------------------------------------O's denote where the heavy dots in the drawing should be.X's denote where the heavy lines in the drawing should be. These are there to help give a visual picture of the letter.----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE DOT: O--- Think of the dot in the upper left hand corner(letter E) of the E. --- --- TWO DOTS: /-----\ /-----\ Think of two human eyes (hence, the letter(letter I) O O I). the pupils are the dots. \-----/ \-----/ THREE DOTS: /--O--- Three dots running down the middle of the letter(letter S) help you remember the letter S. \--O--\ ---O--/ FOUR DOTS: O O The four dots in the four corners of the letter help(letter H) --- you remember the letter H. O O

Online course

Online Radio & Electronics Course AOCP Theory
www.radioelectronicschool.com
AOCP COURSE INDEX
Reading Subject: Reading Number: Page Number: Notes:
Absorption Limiting Frequency 8 4
Absorption Wavemeter 39 11
AFSK (Audio Frequency Shift Keying) 40 6
ALC - Automatic Level Gain Control 31 7&9
Alternating Voltage and Current 9 2
Alternator Whine 33 6
Ammeter Shunts 15 2
Amplifier Classes 26 2
Amplifier Efficiency 26 2&3
Amplitude Modulation - Explained 29 3
AMTOR Mode 40 3
Angle of Incidence 28 4
Angle of Radiation 28 6
Anodes 21 3
Antenna gain 37 5
Antenna Loading 37 7
Armature 9 3
Armstrong Oscillator 27 3
ASCII 40 2
Atomic Theory 1 2
Audio Frequency Shift Keying (AFSK) 40 6
Audio Rectification Interference 33 5
Automatic Level Gain Control – ALC 31 7&9
Autotransformer 18 7
Avalanche Effect 24 7
Balanced and Unbalanced Line 38 3
Balanced Modulator 31 4
Band Pass/Stop/Notch Filters 32 2
Bandwidth 29 4
Battery/Cell - How it Works 16 2
Baudot Code 40 2
Beat Frequency Oscillator 31 8

Morse Code - The Morse Mouse - 1

Here are a few images of the modification I made to a cheap PC Concepts 3-button USB mouse (you can get new ones for $6) just to give you an idea of what is involved. The beauty of the USB mouse approach is that it can be operated in parallel with your main mouse. Here is the mouse as it comes out of the box. Only $6 -- wow -- and it is actually a pretty good mouse.

















But this mouse is going to live no ordinary life! Notice the three micro-switches for the three mouse
buttons. Oh good, dry contacts, just what we need.


Just lift out the circuit board and flip it over. Notice that all three switches are connected to a "common" wire. Each has its center pin connected to a separate controller IC pin and a third pin unconnected.


So, we wire up our paddle/key cable appropriately.


Then the fun begins -- cramming it all back in the package. But if you are careful, you can get it all back together and still have the original mouse buttons working. Just be careful not to have any of the wires pierced by the sharp pins on the bottom of the circuit board. A problem I had with the above wiring was the shield wire interfered with some plastic in the base which had to be removed.

When I modified a second mouse, I decided to install a standard 1/4" stereo jack with connections compatible with my Icom 751A transceiver. So here is the setup on the corner of my computer desk. The gray wire coming out from under the Bencher brings out the dot connection for the straight key (as required by the 751A).


(You might notice that I have modified the Bencher paddles to mount inside the levers to give the narrower spacing I happen to prefer. Also, the dot paddle is custom built to stick out further to accommodate the fact that my thumb doesn't extend as far as my forefinger.) There was just enough room in the mouse ball cavity to contain the jack.


All of this is very much in its formative stages and any feedback would be gladly accepted.
73, Harry, AB7TB

+63-48+71-312+71-56+71-48+71-55
+71-216+183-64+183-64+191-192+79-39
+200-56+191-56+63-183+63-432+63-64
+55-56+191-320+64-47+63-56+183-56
+63-176+63-48+55-200+183-55+72-184
+199-32+55-64+72-455+207-192+79-40
+71-48+71-48+79-192+80-39+79-200
+79-40+72-47+71-424+79-31+71-48
+224-247+71-48+63-64+71-176+71-184
+71-47+64-64+192-55+71-184+63-56
+55-64+184-152+71-56+207-56+55-56
+64-207+192-63+199-48+71-55+63-56
+207-56+184-423+71-48+79-184+207-304
+199-48+63-56+199-48+55-199+71-160
+63-55+184-56+63-200+200-167+71-56

The Oscillator

From the President,

Dennis Kidder, W6DQ
So, how do you like your new privileges? I hope you have at least tried to use them. Some of us have been discussing the possibility of bringing an old club net back to life ... on 10 meters! Now that ALL amateurs have access to at least a part of the 28 MHz phone band, it seems fitting that we encourage club members to become active on HF if they aren't already. Let me know what you think.

From the March meeting, I would again like to thank Mick Stwertnik, WB6JVT, President of NCG, for his presentation on their products and a donation of one of their new dual-band mobile antennas for our drawing.

The upcoming April meeting promises to be an exciting one! I am delighted to hear that Dave Bell,W6AQ, will be our guest speaker. As one of Amateur Radio's biggest promoters, we can all take
inspiration from his work. I am really looking forward to this one!

Don't forget that for this month only we are meeting at the Greater Long Beach Chapter of the American Red Cross. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked. Signal Hill is holding the annual Easter Eggstravaganza at City Hall, and it is the Saturday following our general meeting. The meeting room is being used in preparation for the event. This is
one of the events that we, as ARALB, participate in order to secure the use of the meeting room through the rest of the year. In exchange for our donated time, we are given the use of the meeting room at no charge. Think about coming out on behalf of ARALB and helping to spread some cheer to the kids in the community!

And although it seems far off at this time, Field Day is coming fast and will be here before you know it. It takes a lot of planning to pull off a successful event. Think about what you might be willing to do to help out with our Field Day efforts again this year. Don't forget about the Yard Sale coming in May. Here's another chance to support ARALB by donating your old "stuff" to this event.Remember, this is one way in which we defer the costs of Field Day. Our level of success in the yard sale determines whether we dine on steak .... or Spam.

Last, but certainly not least, we still need help with many club activities. At the top of the list is The Oscillator. This is a vital club organ and is in desperate need of a new "home." Carina, KF6ZYY,and Michael, W6MJF, have taken this on in a temporary assignment until we can find a new volunteer editor. If you have a yearning to be "The Chief" of a distinguished newsletter, here's your chance. Let us know if you're interested.See you all at the April meeting! 73 - dennis W6DQ

About Our Speaker Dave Bell, W6AQ
Dave is best known for producing documentary films. He is an Emmy and Peabody award winner for his work, but his pride is in having produced the first documentary about ham radio that enjoyed worldwide distribution. He is active in CW and DX contests, and in QRP work. Please attend this very special program!
There’s a New Game In Town The Egg Drawing Is Cracked
Have you ever thought about the Egg Drawing? Month after month we draw an egg with someone’s name who is not present to win, or someone who seemingly is unknown to anyone in the club, or even an SK. Then someone lugs home the eggs and their crate,usually grumbling about carrying this load.

Starting at the April General Meeting we’ll try something NEW.Wear your name badge, and you’ll receive one ticket for a prize drawing to be given that night. Not from the ARALB? Wear your name badge from any club. Forget your badge, and you can make a paper stick-on badge at the door. You’ll still get a ticket.

The badge prize will be something small, approximately $5.00 in value. In this way we will spend the same amount per year as the Egg Drawing, but we’ll have 12 winners rather than one or two.We hope you like it! Don’t forget to wear your badge!

The connection may seem slightly detached, but it’s true! We help the City of Signal Hill the day after our next meeting in April, and they improve our reception the rest of the year!

That’s because the City of Signal Hill needs our help on Saturday,April 7, 2007, to host their annual community Easter Eggstravaganza, and ARALB needs their Community Center the rest of the year to host our monthly meetings.

Please arrive at the Signal Hill Community Center by 8:00 AM,and be prepared to receive kids and parents by 9:00. Talk-in is on 145.520 MHz (simplex). With your help, our reception on Signal Hill will be excellent

Elmer’s Corner Hello! Anybody out there? By Dennis Kidder, W6DQ
In February we talked a little on getting started on HF. Well, the day has come, and you are now the proud holder of HF privileges. So, what next? How do you get started talking to others? Well, this month we’ll talk about some of the finer points of HF operations.

Many of you have heard me give my “first three rules” of communications, namely, “1. Listen.2. Listen. 3. Listen.” These rules hold true as much on HF as they do during emergency communications and maybe even more so. Why?
Propagation. When you key that microphone, your signal may very well traverse the world. So, it really pays to listen around first before ever keying that PTT switch.

Listening will tell you a few things before you ever say a word. First, you get a rough idea of any activity already in progress on the band. Second,you get an idea of how propagation is doing.Propagation is dependent upon many factors: time of day, season, and of course the sunspot cycle. It is important to consider all of these things prior to
going on the air. Or, is it? More on that in a bit.Getting Started

So, let’s say that you hear a few stations on the air and they are all busy in QSO with others.How do you make a contact? Well, the first thing you need to do is to find a clear spot to begin calling.This may not be as simple as it sounds. Again it depends on all those things I mentioned earlier: time of day, season, and sunspots. And of course, if there are any contests in progress … but we’ll leave THAT topic for a future column.

Assuming that you’ve found a clear frequency,what now? One common technique that I hear a lot is to call, “Is this frequency in use?” In many ways, this is really being a good neighbor.Remember propagation? It is quite possible that
the quiet frequency you hear is in use, but you can only hear one side of the transmission, and the side you CAN hear is listening while you call out. He will hear you AND the station he is in QSO with at the time. He SHOULD acknowledge your call and let you know that the frequency is in use. If this happens, just thank him, ID and move to another clear frequency and repeat the process.

So, let’s just say that you’ve made that call and there was no response. Now what? The best technique to use is to “Call CQ.” CQ is a prosign that essentially means “I am willing to speak with anyone who wishes to speak with me.” Remember that this is not your local two meter repeater and “W6DQ listening,” is not the best approach to making contacts here. A time-honored technique of saying “CQ” three times, followed by your call three times, is a good approach. It would sound something like this: “CQ, CQ, CQ, this is W6DQ,Whiskey Six Delta Quebec, W6DQ,calling CQ and standing by.” There are many variations to this, but keeping the call short and simple has always worked best for me. It is important that the other station be able to understand your callsign, hence the use of the International phonetics. Cute little phrases are fine with your buddies on two meters,but they don’t hold up well on HF. You just never know who you may talk with next, it could be someone just down the street, or it could be someone halfway around the world for whom English is a second language.

Again, you can continue this process until you get a response. And the response may be something like, “W6DQ, this is Alpha Charlie Three Papa Tango, AC3PT, calling and standing by.” (That would have been a dream QSO back in the day, yeah?*) And so on and so forth. You would return the call, his call first followed by yours, acknowledging the reception of the call. A typical QSO would then go on to give a signal report and your name and location (QTH). You will soon find that there is plenty to talk about … weather, your radio, your antennas, other hobbies and the list goes on.

Someone else calling CQ? Just reverse the process. When they finish, call them, their call first, followed by yours, at least once phonetically.And let the process unfold. You will quickly get the hang of it and be an old hand before too long.On Sunspots

So, just how important is all the stuff about time of day, season and sunspots? Well, if you


There are several vacant committees that you might enjoy if you were to step forward and offer some time. If you’re interested in any of these, ask any Director or Officer. And remember that asking is not committing. We want each club member to participate in activities they enjoy and at a level that is comfortable.

• The Oscillator: You’ll learn a lot as Editor,and you will have several assistants who will help write, proof, print and mail, and email thenewsletter. A very big and very important job!

• Field Day: Assist Dennis Kidder, W6DQ, and organize band captains, plan menus, arrange for facilities, manage finances, record contest points and submit our Field Day results.Another big and very important job, with lots of helpers to assist.

• 7-3 Committee: Be the first chairman of this new committee, and you’ll set the course for its success. respond to the health and welfare news of our members, be an official greeter at the meetings, organize our holiday greetings at the end of the year. This committee is key to adding the personal touch to our club.

• Club Net: As chairman of the Club Net you can be Net Control, or you can rotate the Net Control position in any of several ways. If you don’t have a strong enough base station at home, you can run the Net from the ECOC or from W6RO. This is a club net that helps allclub members keep in touch with each other.
  

• Training Committee: Would you like to organize classes? Perhaps teach classes? The Club and the ARRL have training materials available, and we have people asking for classes. Help keep ham radio alive by spreading the hobby!
  

• Scholarship Committee: The Hal Nahmens Scholarship Committee funds a $250 scholarship each year to help beginners get into ham radio. Help decide how the scholarship should be awarded.
  

• Refreshments: What would a club meeting be without refreshments? Tap a few club members on the shoulder and ask them to sign up to bring refreshments to one meeting. Arrive at the meeting in time to make the coffee. Your job will be done, and we’ll all be happy.Help keep the ARALB the BEST radio club around. Participate in a committee. Again, ask anyOfficer or Director for more details before you decide.

IS MY GENERAL OR EXTRA CSCE STILL VALID? By Tom Gibbons, W9EYB
Do you hold a Certificate of Successful Completion (CSCE) for an Element 3 or 4 written test? CSCEs are valid for one year from date of issue. If you are unsure whether your CSCE is still valid, bring the CSCE and a legible copy to any testing session, and check with the Volunteer Examiner-in-Charge.

Present the CSCE original and copy at the examination session, along with a copy of your current Amateur Radio license, plus the processing fee. Do not give up the original Amateur Radio license. The original CSCE is yours and will be returned during the session.

The club Testing Committee sessions are held at 900 hours on the third Saturday morning each month at the CSULB University Police Station.Please arrive on time. You can pre-register with Louise Chapman, N6ELK, by email
N6ELK@aol.com or telephone 562-429-1355. She will have your "605" registration form ready to sign when you arrive at the session. The fee for monthly club testing is $4.00.

For FCC Rules or testing questions contact Tom Gibbons, W9EYB, the Testing Committee Chairman. You may reach him by email at tlgnov6@yahoo.com or w9eyb@arrl.net or by telephone at 562-529-8644.

A tip of the ARALB hat to the many Volunteer Examiners participating in the ARALB Testing Program. Their time and talents are very much appreciated.

Do You Remember Way Back When?
Calling all past ARALB members (especially the more senior ones). If you happen to have a copy of past membership rosters, on paper or computer file, please contact Membership Chairman Bob Grubic, NC6Q. He is trying to reconstruct a history and record of all past members and the years they were in the club. If you were a past officer of the club, you just might have a typed list or printout of some old club rosters hidden in a box somewhere. Please contact Bob by email at NC6Q@arrl.net.happen to find yourself tuning around a supposed “dead” band during one

of our many big contest weekends, you’ll discover just how UNimportant it really is. You can usually find activity anywhere you look for it, within reason. Don’t expect to find
South Africa on 80 meters in the middle of the day,but certainly give 10 or 15 a try. Even though it is a low part of the sunspot cycle right now, there is still propagation, and there may be others out there tuning around listening.
Other Resources

While listening is always a good way to learn the techniques, whom you listen to is also important. Not every operator has the best techniques. I suggest an invaluable resource for ANY ham is The ARRL Operating Manual. This is a good source of information on operating techniques and is a wealth of information in many other areas, such as, setting up your first station. I have never been without a copy, and as they get updated from time to time, I always have a fresh copy around. Of course, the Web is another good source of information, and the ARRL Web site has some good guidance as well.

By all means, when in doubt, ask someone.That’s what Elmers are all about. Get advice from an experienced operator. They are a great source of operating information.

In the meantime, get out there and make some contacts! QRZ? Who is the station calling me?? 73, -W6DQ

* BTW – AC3PT was a very sought after QSL card back in the 60’s and 70’s. He was King of the Principality of Sikkim. One of the rare ones

ARALB Yard Sale Saturday, May 5
at the home of Jeff KG6DKJ and Julie KG6FIA Potter 4527 Tolbert Ave.6:00 AM until noon Remember those great steaks we have at Field Day? The yard sale pays for that and much more, so support the sale with your saleable discards and your time on May 5. Start cleaning your closets now—the Potters have storage space and are willing to receive sale items ahead of time. Just call ahead to be sure they’re home. 562-423-9352. Let’s top last year’s take!

W6RO, the ARALB Station
Join the operators of the most famous club station in the world! For more information call Henry Lulli, W6OLZ, at 714-963-2986, or email him at W6OLZ@socal.rr.com. If you already are a W6RO operator and have scheduling questions, call Nate Brightman, K6OSC, at 562-427-5123. If you have questions about equipment in the Wireless
Room, please contact John Rogers, KF6TTR, 562-626-1755 (pager w/vm).

HAMCON 2007
HAMCON is coming sooner than you think.September sounds far off, but if you register by the end of April you will get the Early Bird Special,including a FREE HAMCON pin (while they last).When HAMCON was last hosted by the Los
Angeles area of the Southwest Division (2003 in Long Beach), the banquet sold out; many people were disappointed to miss the highlight of the weekend. So plan now to get your tickets early AND get a discount to boot! Fill out the
application on the next page and send your check before the end of April

The Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach publishes The OSCILLATOR each month. Subscriptions are
included with membership. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all submitted material. Credit to The
OSCILLATOR and the writer should be given with any reproduction. The comments and views expressed by authors are not necessarily the views of the ARALB, its officers, or the editorial staff. The deadline for submission of articles for publication is the 15th of each month. Articles can be sent via email to KF6ZYY@arrl.net or W6MJF@arrl.net, or by mail to The OSCILLATOR, Michael Fox, W6MJF, 3546½ Falcon Ave., Long Beach, CA 90807-4816. Material can be on paper or any standard digital format. Printer: Circle C Printing, Bellflower, CA. Print Distributor: Joy Matlack,KD6FJV. Email Distributor: Carina Lister, KF6ZYY.

Morse Code Sound Patterns (Alphabet)

Note: By concensus of many morse instructors in over a century of teaching morse code, it is generally considered counter-productive to learn the morse alphabet visually (i.e., as dashes and dots). What came about, then, to emphasize the need to learn morse aurally (just as it would be used on-the-air), are the word sounds "di" (or "dit", a short staccato sound) and "DAH" (a heavier, longer sound). Even these are approximations, but one needs to start someplace.
Timing: In real practice, using tonal sounds (as one would encounter on-the-air), the "DAH" is ideally three times the duration of the "dit". The spacing between dits and DAHS (within a single character) is equal in duration to a silent "dit". The spacing between characters is equal to the duration of a silent "DAH". And the standard spacing between words is equal to the duration of a silent character "A" (i.e., dit-DAH).

Speed: In words-per-minute (wpm), speed is taken to mean the number of times the word "PARIS", using standard timing as explained above, will exactly fit into one minute. I recommend one have the ability to copy (and send) with 90% accuracy at 10 wpm before attempting to communicate "on-the-air".

Sending: It is a common misconception that if one learns to RECEIVE morse code, sending skills will come automatically. This misconception can lead to a disastrous first experience on-the-air. Sending involves mechanical skills, the timing for which can only be learned by actual practice. The classic choice for practicing sending is a hand key and code practice oscillator. There are other choices available (keyers with dual and singlelever paddles, mechanical "bugs", and keyboards or computers). The choice is yours, but I highly recommend resisting the temptation to use keyboards/PC's, unless you have a physical disability that necessitates it, because you'll be missing out on half of the CW experience.

Character---Pattern

A --------------DAH
B --------------DAH-di-di-dit
C --------------DAH-di-DAH-dit
D --------------DAH-di-dit
E --------------dit
F --------------di-di-DAH-dit
G --------------DAH-DAH-dit
H --------------di-di-di-dit
I -------------- di- dit
J --------------di-DAH-DAH-DAH
K --------------DAH-di-DAH
L --------------di-DAH-di-dit
M --------------DAH-DAH
N --------------dit
O -------------DAH-DAH-DAH
P --------------di-DAH-DAH-dit
Q --------------DAH-DAH-di-DAH
R--------------di-DAH-dit
S--------------di-di-dit
T--------------DAH
V--------------di-di-di-DAH
W------------di-DAH-DAH
X-------------DAH-di-di-DAH
Y------------DAH-di-DAH-DAH
Z------------DAH-DAH-di-dit

Number----Pattern

1 ------------di-DAH-DAH-DAH-DAH

2 ------------ di-di-DAH-DAH-DAH

3 ------------di-di-di-DAH-DAH

4 ------------di-di-di-di-DAH

5 ------------ di-di-di-di-dit

6 ------------DAH-di-di-di-dit

7 ------------DAH-DAH-di-di-dit

8 ------------DAH-DAH-DAH-di-dit

9 ------------DAH-DAH-DAH-DAH-dit

0 ------------DAH-DAH-DAH-DAH-DAH

Punctuation--------Pattern

Dash (pause)------- DAH-di-di-di-DAH
Period ( . )----------- di-DAH-di-DAH-di-DAH
Comma ( , )--------- DAH-DAH-di-di-DAH-DAH
Question ( ? )------- di-di-DAH-DAH-di-dit
Slant ( / )------------- DAH-di-di-DAH-dit

Special------------------Pattern
Error--------------- -----di-di-di-di-di-di-di-dit
Error (alternate)---- -----di-dit dit-dit
Break (BK)--------------- DAH-di-di-di-DAH-di-DAH
End-of-Message (AR) ----di-DAH-di-DAH-dit
End-of-QSO (SK) --------di-di-di-DAH-di-DAH
Please Wait (AS) ---------di-DAH-di-di-dit
Specific Station Only------DAH-di-DAH-DAH-dit
- Go Ahead -

Morse Code - PC morse

Morse Code - ELECTRONIC KEYER - SUPER

CMOS SUPER KEYER III - Construction Notes

PC Board

The kit provides all of the components needed to populate the printed-circuit board. The order of assembly isn't crucial. However, the following is suggested: (1) Install and solder the 40-pin socket for U1 and 8-pin socket for U2 oriented as shown in the parts placement diagram (2) Install and solder the ceramic resonator Y1. Its symmetrical inside, so orientation doesn't matter (3) Install and solder all bypass capacitors C1-C9 and C11, and speed-timing capacitor C10. Again, orientation doesn't matter. All capacitors have the same value, but the timing capacitor C10 and has a different appearance and tighter tolerance. Before you install the capacitors, measure their resistance with your VOM to make sure none is shorted. (4) Install and solder all resistors R1-R15. Since they are not all the same, make sure the correct value goes in each spot. If you're not sure of the color code, use your VOM to measure the value. (5) Install and solder transistors Q1 and Q2. Make sure they're oriented properly with the "flat" towards U1. Do not install U1 or U2 yet - that's the very last step.

Next, prepare 13 insulated stranded (never solid!) wires, each a foot or so long, by stripping and tinning one end. Install and solder each wire to the PC board in the holes labeled 5V, GND, SPK, SPEED, DASH, DOT, MES1-MES6 and KEY. There are several possible locations for the GND wire, so pick the one that's most convenient for your assembly. Using wires of different colors will help to avoid confusion during final assembly.

Now is the time to carefully examine your work! Recheck that all resistors are in their proper place, and that U2, Q1, and Q2 are correctly oriented. Visually inspect all solder joints for good flow and lack of blobs or whiskers. Good light and a magnifier will come in handy. Shorts are most likely to occur in the areas between pins 8- 9 and 10-18 of the socket for U1. Get out your VOM and make some resistance measurements. You should find the following:

From U1-7 to:

From U1-4 to:

U1-8	U1-9		U1-10	U1-11	U1-12	U1-13	U1-14	U1-15	U1-16	U1-17	U1-18
open	open		15K	15K	15K	15K	15K	15K	15K	15K	open

If 0 Ohms is measured, a short has crept in that must be removed using a sharp blade,

Keyer Unit
The keyer unit comprises the completed PC board along with a chassis, power source of about +5V, connectors, switches, and potentiometer of your liking. Choose momentary push-button switches that are normally open arid that have a good action and feel. After installing all chassis-mount components, complete the wiring of the grounds to the speaker, connectors, switches, and center terminal of the potentiometer Then mount the PC board on two sturdy standoffs.

Cut each pendant wire to length and solder to Its proper destination (check twice, cut and solder once!) . The SPK wire goes to one side of the speaker, GND to the common chassis ground, 5V to the positive side of the power source, DASH and DOT to the paddle input connector, MES1-MES6 to the six message switches, KEY to the output jack, and SPEED to the potentiometer. Make sure the message wires go to the switches in the correct order. When wiring to the pot, choose the terminal that provides increasing resistance with clockwise rotation. And be sure to leave a 'service loop" in the wires so that emergency access to the back of the PC board is possible.

Find your VOM again. Measure the resistance from pin 9 of the socket for U1 to ground. it should vary from1K to 101K as the speed pot is rotated. Now apply power to the unit (remember, the sockets are still empty!) and take some voltage measurements with respect to ground. The table following shows the measurements you should take and what you should find. The symbol +V stands for whatever your supply voltage is and should be in the range from +3.5 to +5.5. Several pins will should have no voltage present and, depending on your type of VOM, may measure as 0.

U1

Voltage

U1

Voltage

U1

Voltage

U1

Voltage

U2

Voltage

pin			pin			pin			pin			pin
1	+V		11	+V		21	none		31	0		1	0
2	+V		12	+V		22	none		32	0		2	0
3	+V		13	+V		23	none		33	0		3	0
4	+V		14	+V		24	none		34	0		4	0
5	none		15	+V		25	none		35	none		5	none
6	none		16	+V		26	none		36	0		6	none
7	none		17	+V		27	none		37	0		7	0
8	none		18	none		28	none		38	none		8	none
9	0		19	none		29	0		39	none
10	+V		20	0		30	0		40	+V

Plug in your paddles. Closing the dash paddle should cause pin 10 of the U1 socket to go to 0 Volts.

Similarly, closing the dot paddle will cause pin 11 to be 0 Volts. Closing message switches 1 through 6 will cause pins 12 through 17, respectively, to measure 0 Volts. If any of the foregoing measurements doesn't checkout, you've got a wiring problem somewhere that you'll have to find and repair.

Install U1 and U2

When you're satisfied that all is well, first (1) remove power, and (2) install U1 and U2 properly oriented in their sockets, taking care not to mangle any of the pins. Close visual examination should reveal if any pin has folded under. Apply power and listen for the keyer to spring to life by sending OK. Then get on the air and enjoy!

Modification for Negative Keying

As noted in Operating Manual, the output transistor 02 will only key positive voltages. If you have an older rig with tube finals, it is likely that a negative voltage is present on the key line, requiring a level-converter to be added. Such a circuit is shown below (from QST, June 1991, page 45). As a safety factor, the transistor and bypass capacitor should handle a voltage at least twice that measured on your the rig's key line. Suitable high-voltage PNP transistors include the MPS-A92 (300V, 50 mA) and 2N5415 (200V, 50 mA).