Members of ARRL since 1957

The Victor Valley Amateur Radio Club Newsletter THE SPECTRUM April 2007 Come one, Come ALL ! ! ! The VVARC Officers for 2006: President: Jerry Grunden, WR6X Vice-President: Randy Hatfield, AG6RH barbrieg@juno.com Randy.Lori@verizon.net Secretary: Lori Hatfield, KD7GNC Treasurer: Sandi DeWeert, KG6ZHX Randy.Lori@verizon.net sdeweert@verizon.net April Meeting: Tuesday, April 10 Program: Our own James Pike is going to again be our great auctioneer for the Club’s annual auction. Be sure and bring anything that you would like to sell or just get rid of. Remember whatever we are able to sell it for, you keep 90% of the purchase price and the Club retains 10%. It’s a lot of fun, so be sure and join us! Club meetings are held at the Mojave River Campus of the Lewis Center. Membership drawing and door prizes. Everyone is welcome!! Directions: From Apple Valley Road, turn west on Tuscola (toward the river). Take the very first right turn, which is Mana. The campus is located at the very end of Mana Rd. We meet in Building C. Sunday Night Net: Remember that every Sunday at 7PM the Club conducts a Net on the 146.940 repeater. Get the latest club announcements and reminders. Also, our Club needs volunteers to help run the Net. If you are interested, please contact us. In the event that the repeater is down, turn to 146.5350 simplex. Club Member News Birthdays Get Well HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL Please let Sandi DeWeert, sdeweert@verizon.net, know if you hear of any of our members that may be under the weather or just need a little lift from friends in the Club. Robert Barton 4/10 Jimmy James 4/6 If anyone is missed, let us know. Our records probably need to be updated Welcome to New Club Members Want to welcome some new members to our Club, Michael Preuschoff and Richard Stephen. Let’s all make them feel welcome and say hello. 2007 DUES: 2007 membership dues are now due. Thanks to those who have paid for this year; your continued support is appreciated. A membership form is at the end of this issue for your convenience. The membership drawing chips only reflect 2007 members. Be sure and renew your membership and have a chance to win the drawing each month and receive a copy of the Spectrum by email. The April drawing is $20.00. Renewal applications are also on the web site, www.VictorVAlleyARC.com. Dues for 2007 remain the same: $18.00 for individuals, $23 for families, and $10 for youth and all new members. Volunteers Needed: YOUR INPUT IS VITAL!!! Your Board is always looking for volunteers to help out with Club business. Please step forward and give us a hand. Contact any of the Board members. If you have any ideas for programs, activities, club projects, etc. speak up. Pass your thoughts along to the Board members.  WE are open to any suggestions.  Remember, without your input, we have no idea what interests you or what you would like to do. VE Testing in the Victor Valley The first Saturday of every odd-numbered month there is a GLAARG (Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group) test session in Hesperia. Tests are held at the Fire Station at the corner of Olive and H. Registration starts at 8:30 AM. The cost is $4.00. Walk-ins are welcome. Testing is available for all classes of license. All candidates must bring a picture ID, and if you are upgrading, you need the original and a copy of your amateur license and any CSCEs you hold. For more information, you can contact Jim MacRay, KW6V, at 244-1396. Directions to test site: From I-15 take Main Street, Hesperia exit. GO east on Main St. approx. 5 miles. Turn south on “H” to Olive. Also, the Inland ARC tests on the 4th Thursday of each month, at 5 PM at 25541 Barton Rd, Loma Linda. Contact person is Sam Eller, AD6UE at (909) 796-2996. Location from going south on I-10: Exit Mountain View Ave, right on Barton, Left on Loma Linda Dr, Civic Center complex. Take driveway to your left immediately past the fire station. Web Site Update We apologize for the inconvenience of the web site not being updated. Please bear with us. We should have the situation clarified by next month. If you have any questions, feel free to contact any of your Board members. From the ARRL: Address or phone number change??? “The FCC requires you to maintain a valid current mailing address in their database at all times. This is so that they can contact you by mail if needed. If you move or even change PO boxes, be sure to update your information using the FCC ULS online system. If you do not maintain a current address and mail to you is returned to the FCC as undeliverable, your license can be revoked and removed from the database.” Don’t forget if you need to renew your membership or join the ARRL, contact Sandi DeWeert (sdeweert@verizon.net) and pay your dues through the Club. VVARC receives a commission for each renewal or new joining fee. Know Your Privileges Technician licensees have gained new privileges as of February 23, but some remain unaware as to what they may or may not do on HF. In addition to all amateur radio operating privileges above 50 MHz, Technicians who never passed Morse code tests now have CW privileges on certain segments of 80, 40 and 15 meters, plus CW, RTTY, data and SSB privileges on certain segments of 10 meters. That’s it. ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson, N1ND, advises all licensees to “Know your privileges” You can check http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/bands.html Henderson emphasizes “Technicians have no phone privileges on any HF band other than 10 meters.” He says that “Calls I’ve been getting lately indicate that some misinformed individuals believe Technicians may operate ‘digital voice’ on 80, 40, and 15 where they have only CW privileges. Not true. Digital voice is really digitized voice and it’s not permitted in non-phone band segments.” He also allowed “We’re sorry that the sunspots aren’t favoring 10 meters at this point in the sunspot cycle, but will in a few years” Becoming a Technician Licensee by Randy Hatfield There have been some exciting changes in amateur radio over the past couple of years. NO MORSE CODE is required for any HAM radio license. As a result of Hurricane Katrina the entry level, Technician class, license is now “needs specific” for emergency communications. It’s easier to obtain that license. The City of Victorville is offering classes for the Technician license. The course is based on emergency communications. The Gordon West manual and student guide is a winning combination. It is a multimedia type class. You will learn the tricks to studying for the FCC exam. You will see videos, PowerPoint presentations, and hands-on demonstrations. When you finish the class you will know how to operate a radio in the case of an emergency… not just pass a test. Students in the last 3 classes have all passed the Technician FCC Exam at their first testing session. The youngest student so far, Billy, passed his Tech exam last October at age13. He is now a General class operator at age 14. The oldest would admit to being “over 65”. There are now new lady HAM radio operators in our community due to this class! If you or someone you know would like to learn if HAM radio is for you, go to the first class and decide for yourself. Specifics: You do not need to be a Victorville resident. Instruction dates are on Saturdays, June 2, 9, 16, 2007. Instruction time is 8 AM to 12 noon. Classes are held in the fire station located at the County Fair grounds on 7^th Street. Registration deadline is May 24, 2007. Register at the Victorville City Hall cashier to obtain your manual and study guide. Registration cost is $20.00. Registration is limited to 12-15 students. Congratulations to New HAMS in our area Bob Caddel Bob Hunter Marla Stanfield Bryan Bershee Richard Stephan Del Carlile Peggy Mayer Paul Decker Jared Biberston Joseph and Carolyn Sehow Dave Deards General Class Offered Randy Hatfield will be offering a General Class in April. The date will be set based on the amount of people interested. The class will be held on a Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00+ p.m. Those interested are asked to contact Randy at (760) 951-9769. How I met the President of the United States By Randy Hatfield Strange things happen in a person’s life. A week ago meeting President Bush was the farthest thing from my mind. Keep in mind that April Fools Day was just a few days away. Also, Robert and I had played a few tricks on each other in the past. Thursday, March 29, 2007, Robert Barton, a HAM radio club member and Victorville’s Office of Emergency Services coordinator contacted me. I had been a volunteer for Victorville’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Emergency Communications Service (ECS) for a year. He told me that he had been contacted by the White House. He asked me for my social security number, date of birth, and driver’s license number. He said I was nominated for a special award from President Bush. Robert also told me that a member of the White House staff would be calling me to do an interview over the phone. I went along and said to myself and later my wife, Lori, “Oh, sure!” Friday mid-morning, I received a call on my cell phone from a lady (Jill, for the purpose of this article) who claimed she was from the White House, Freedom Corps. I’d never heard of Freedom Corps. (See www.freedomcorps.gov ) Jill said I was being considered for an award from President Bush. The award is for voluntary service to the community to further the purposes of Freedom Corps. She asked me a number of questions regarding my background and involvement in CERT and ECS. At the end of the conversation Jill said she’d contact the person who nominated me regarding their decision. Sunday, April Fools Day, at 5:45 PM (8:45 EDT) Jill called again to my cell phone and said I was selected to be the High Desert representative to receive the Freedom Corps award. I almost laughed but I kept my composure. She congratulated me and asked a few more questions. At the end of the conversation she said a man named Jack, for the purpose of this article, would call me on Monday. He would have further instructions regarding the airport meeting of President Bush. Jill told me not to call the press or make my instructions public. I was at first excited but thought Robert had done a really creative job of pulling off an April fool. I called him at home to try to figure out this thing. Robert congratulated me and said he hadn’t heard from Jill regarding the decision. Monday mid-morning, I realized that my cell phone battery was dead. I put it on the car charger as I drove to the old George Air Force Base. I planned to look for the address Jill had given me the night before. I looked at my phone, found I had a voice mail and listened to it. It was from Jack. He gave me his area code (202, Washington, DC) phone number and asked me to call. Before I could get my little pickup pulled over I received a call from Jill. Jill said she’d heard from Jack and that I should call him… I began to think maybe this wasn’t a hoax! Jill asked me a few more questions to clarify my background details. I told her that up until her call I thought this was an elaborate April Fools joke perpetrated by Robert Barton. I was assured by Jill that I would shake hands with President Bush on Wednesday about noon. She gave me her area code (202) phone number to call if I had any further questions. She suggested I call Jack right away. I called Jack. He sounded very official. Jack gave me the instructions I needed for meeting the President on Wednesday. Suddenly, reality set in… This was not a joke. Wednesday, April 4^th, 10:00 AM Lori and I went to old George Air Base and waited with other local, county, and state officials. There was a holding area where we were screened and went onto the tarmac of the base. Lori was taken to the press platform to take pictures. At 11:30 A.M., when Air Force One stopped on the ground, I was taken to a special place next to the plane. The White House photographer positioned me. The President came down the stair waving. He paused and looked directly at me and waved. President Bush greeted the local officials and then came over to me. He shook my hand and asked how I was doing. I was presented the Presidential Volunteer Award pin. I gave him something as well. It was a postcard dated December 8, 1941. My dad was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. He was allowed to send a postcard to his parents to let them know he was okay. It read, “I am well. Will write at first opportunity”. I gave that postcard to President Bush and explained its meaning. He said it would be displayed at his presidential library. President Bush headed off to his helicopter and I was escorted to the press area for questions from the press and pictures. My Favorite Radio Memory By Juan Ferry, Jan/Feb ‘06 issue of Reminisce magazine ”I began building crystal radio sets in 1921 and progressed to the tube sets when they first made their appearance. In 1925 I purchased for $2 the plans for a six tube super heterodyne set from Mr. Cotton in Boston. I bought the necessary parts and assembled them on a flat mahogany board, then encased the set in an all glass cabinet. It was a wonderful set for distance, which was all the rage at that time, and preceded the networks. The then new hobby of collecting radio reception stamps surfaced. A little larger than postal stamps, these multicolored stamps were sent to you for 10 cents by the station you had been listening to. You had to tell the station the day and time you had heard a specific song, or whatever. The Ekko Company of Chicago started this hobby and also made available the album for the stamps. I still have mine with the 158 stamps I collected at the time.” (You can see a photo of this radio that appears in the magazine story at our club meeting. Also, is there any reader out there that remembers this type of reception stamps? Your editor) Field Day 2007 Plans are moving forward with our Field Day operations being held in conjunction with the Victorville ECS. Physical location will be the open green area, south west corner of the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds. Some of the participating agencies are Civil Air Patrol, Victorville OES, and ourselves. For security, the public will be allowed in during day light hours only. A BBQ for Field Day participants only is being planned. Be sure and stay tuned to the Spectrum for updates. Polly Newberry Memoriam Our Club received $100.00 donation from Bill Newberry, Jr. in memoriam of his mother Polly. In accordance with his request, the monies in the amount of $200.00, will be set aside and used to help someone getting started in Amateur Radio. Route 66 on the Air The Citrus Belt Amateur Club (CBARC) will again be hosting Route 66 “On-The-Air” special event in 2007. This will be the eighth annual “On-The-Air” event and will mark the 81^st anniversary celebration of the “Mother Road”. There were well over 12,000 reported contacts last year; the event remains one of the most popular special events. The exact dates have not yet been set. Further information will appear on the CBARC website which is new: www.w6jbt.org. Our club has participated in this event in years past and hopefully we will get more members to help us support this event in September. Cell Phone Facts Forwarded by Denny Wells, KN6HB Emergency The emergency number worldwide for mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of coverage of your mobile network and have an emergency, dial 112. This will search any existing network to establish a connection for 112. 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Locked your keys in the car? If your car has remote keyless entry, this may come in handy. If the spare keys are at home, call someone at home. Ask them your cell from their phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the “unlock” button holding it near the phone on their end and your car will unlock. Hidden battery power If your cell battery is very low, you can press the 3370#. Your cell will restart with this reserve, showing a 50% increase in battery power. (This reserve will be charged when you next recharge your cell. Disabling a stolen mobile phone To check your mobile phone’s serial number, key in: *#06# A 15 digit code, unique to your handset, will appear on the screen. Write it down and save. If your phone gets stolen, you just phone your service provide and give this code. They can then block your handset, even if the thief changes the SIM card. 411 calls Cell phone companies can charge $1 or more for 411 information calls. If you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial (800) FREE 411 or (800) 3732311 without incurring this charge. Calendar of Events April 2 – Board Meeting: 6:30 p.m., 11125 Chipmunk Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 240-8718 April 10 – General Meeting: 7:00 p.m., Auction May 7 – Board Meeting: 6:30 p.m., 11125 Chipmunk Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 240-8718 May 8 - General Meeting: 7:00 p.m., May 18 -20 – Dayton Hamvention in Dayton, Ohio Visit http://wa5kub.com for streaming video and audio of the world’s largest HAM radio convention. Live broadcasting of convoy to convention will begin May 16 and continue through May 20. June 4 - Board Meeting: 6:30 p.m., 11125 Chipmunk Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 240-8718 June 12 – Annual BBQ June 23-24 – Field Day July 2 - Board Meeting: 6:30 p.m., 11125 Chipmunk Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 240-8718 July 10 – Annual Ice Cream Social August 6 - Board Meeting: 6:30 p.m., 11125 Chipmunk Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 240-8718 August 14 – No meeting this due to vacations September 3 - Board Meeting: 6:30 p.m., 11125 Chipmunk Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 240-8718 September 11 - General Meeting: 7:00 p.m. October 1 - Board Meeting: 6:30 p.m., 11125 Chipmunk Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 240-8718 October 9 – General Meeting: 7:00 p.m. November 5 - Board Meeting: 6:30 p.m., 11125 Chipmunk Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 240-8718 November 13 – General Meeting: 7:00 p.m. December 3 - Board Meeting: 6:30 p.m., 11125 Chipmunk Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 240-8718 December 11 – Installation Dinner Radio Limerick of the Month Thanks for Barbara LaGrange, KF6AJT, for sending the following: Where ever you find your abode The word is much smaller with Code. It doesn’t much matter How great is the splatter, As long as its path finds a node. And remember you, too, can write one for us…. Sharpen your wits and your pencils and write one. E-mail to Virginia at kd6rdc@juno.com Smile Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was excellent.