The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Washington Amateur Communications Inside: Fox Hunt.................2, 16 Field Day................3, 10 Items of Interest........ 4, 9, 11 Minutes.................... 5 Picnic 2010............... 6, 7 Seen at the Meeting.......... 8 FCC, AMSAT News......... 11 Train Trip.............. 12-14 Operating Events...........15 Hamfests................. 18 Officers President: Bud Plants, N3TIR; bud@bnelectronics.com Vice President: Kevin Beatty, KB3JHO; KB3JHO@arrl.net Secretary: John Quigg, N3GHR jjquigg@comcast.net Treasurer: Norma Plants, N3YJJ; njplants@yahoo.com Board of Directors Director: Adam Quigg, NZ3S, kb3omh@comcast.net Director: Jim Burtoft, KC3HW; jburtoft@verizon.net Director: Dave Demotte, N3IDH; n3idh@hotmail.com Webmaster: Joe Caldwell, N3XE; joecaldwell.jc@gmail.com Editor: Jacque Gosselin, N3ZEL n3zel@comcast.net Presidents Message IF IT AIN T PLUG_AND_PLAY, I DON T WANT IT! Have you ever tried to read the manual that comes with your radio? If you did read it, did you understand it? Who wrote this thing???!! Apparently someone who really hasn t used it a lot. Why can t I just plug it in and have it work? Oh yeah!-what about all those menus you have to know now just to get the repeater to recognize you want to talk? Last week I tried to check into a repeater somewhere along the way in the menu settings I had inadvertently changed the repeater offset to 5 MHz with a PL tone of 88.5. No wonder net control couldn t hear me. What did I do with that old 2 meter rig that only had 3 offset options-> minus, plus, and simplex? It also only had one PL tone 100 Hz. Now comes my computer. The hard drive goes bad. Then I encounter the XP dreaded blue screen missing file please reinstall the missing file. Remember DOS? Somewhere in my radio programming software I still have an original copy of MS-DOS 6.1. DOS was a lot easier to use. Now I have to employ Dell personnel to keep my work computers happy, even though they are supposedly plug and play!! So, here we are as ham radio operators. Wanting the plug & play equipment. How many of us actually build antennas from scratch or power supplies? Have we forgotten how? Are we living in the plug & play world and if it doesn t work, sell it on EBay and call AES to price a new something. I guess partly we are short on time. It takes time to build something. It takes time to learn how and why something works or doesn t work. Maybe we are just out of time. But, maybe our skills are still there.remember that it can be rewarding in this fast pace world to slow down and enjoy our hobby... Amateur Radio and all that it offers. 73, Bud, N3TIR The next General Membership meeting will be held ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. AT THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BUILDING IN ROOM 103. BOB, KB3IN, WILL give a course on message handling or traffic. Questions? concerns? Come chat about them. HAMS DO LOVE TO TALK!
Donations for Clay WACOM is taking donations to be given to Clay s wife to help with the cost of the funeral. The club will match any donation up to a $250.00 total amount collected. Please note all checks should be made out to WACOM with a note in the memo portion of the check KB3CHY SK Donation The donations or questions can be sent to Norma: n3yjj@arrl.net WACOM c/o Norma Plants 236 Chambers Ridge Rd. West Alexander Pa 15376 We would like to have all received by Aug 15th 2010. Clayton Hamilton KB3CHY (SK) It is with great sadness I have to announce that a long-time member of WACOM has become a Silent Key. Clayton was a very active member of WACOM and enjoyed helping the club with all events. He will missed by all. Our prayers go out to his entire family on behalf of WACOM Bud Plants
The Fox Hunt Page 2 The W.A.C.O.M. Ham UPDATED INFORMATION ON THE FOX HUNT : The Fox Hunt Attenuator Project One obvious occurrence during the practice fox hunt run was that the hidden transmitter signal was so strong. When we came near the transmitter the directional antennas were useless as the signal strength pushed the S meter to the top. The answer is to have an attenuator. But what type? The ARRL Antenna book and many other sources show attenuators built from slide switches and resistors in well shielded boxes. Those attenuators have multiple steps with a range from 1db to 81db for careful measurements. We need a more brute force approach. The attenuator I built has three steps: 20, 40 and 60db. 20db cuts the incoming signal by 10, 40db cuts it by 100 and 60db cuts the signal by 1000. It uses 3 dpdt slide switches, 3-270 ohm and 6-68 ohm ¼ watt resistors. These resistance values maintain the 50 ohm input and output impedance. The box can be built from copper flashing or double sided printed circuit board. I used the board and soldered the cut pieces together. The pictures show the not-so-neat results. I think copper foil or copper shielding tape could be used to seal the gaps and make the box RF tight. I tested the attenuator with an HF signal generator and scope. It works properly. But the proof will happen at 2M, with a directional antenna and the fox. If you want to build an attenuator like this contact me for the printed circuit board, the source of parts list and the schematic. 73, Larry K3VX k3vx@verizon.net Attenuator Input Attenuator Output Attenuator Switches Attenuator Interior
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Page 3 WACOM Field Day Loren WA3WZR at work with his Drake TR-4 (an old style tube radio) and key. Photo Bud, N3TIR. Below: Loren s station from the working side. This and other photos this page courtesy of and Loren, WA3WZR
Page 4 Seen at Dayton The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Check out this SCREWDRIVER HF antenna I saw at Dayton... the top hat is adjusted by the screwdriver motor,,, tuning across the 160 band,,, the car belonged to a VE3... go you Canadians Photos courtesy of and Bill, NY9H Classified Ad ~ Classified Ad ~ Classified Ad ~ Classified Ad I have two items for sale: First is a very slightly used Icom 718. Currently this HF transceiver is priced at R and L for $619.95 plus shipping. I would like $560. Also I am selling a new, never assembled Cushcraft A14810S 10 element 2M Yagi.. price is 124.95 plus shipping at R&L. I'd like $110 for this antenna. Thank you. Stephen KB3SVX Fearless Freep [f_freep@hotmail.com] New
Page 5 The W.A.C.O.M. Ham July 1, 2010 W.A.Com General Meeting Minutes Present:Bud(N3TIR),Norma(N3YJJ),JohnQ(N3GHR),Sam(W3CYO),Jim(KC3HW),Dave(N3IDH), Jacque(N3ZEL),Ed(N3ZNI),Bill(NY9H),Fay(KA3VOM),TomB(K3PLM),Denny(K8DKS), Debbie (KD8KAC), Frank (KB3AAG), Bob (AB3ED), Nick (WA3ED), John (WA3VKC) Bud called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM 1. Reports Secretary - Ed moved to accept minutes as they appeared in the newsletter, Dave seconded, motion approved. Treasurer Norma gave treasurers report, Ed moved to accept, Denny seconded, motion approved. Newsletter Please let Jacque know of any changes to your e-mail address Repeater - Sam needs someone to tune duplexer for 220 RACES/ARES - The County is on schedule to install Ham equipment for emergency services. Labor day walk and IC walkathon still on. Nets Dave reports good check-ins on 2 meters; Fay, 10m good; YL net needs more check-ins; Bud, Elmer OK; Fay needs substitute control for July13. Bud reports receiving e-mails about nets Old Business Field day 78 visitors, many from ARRL; scouts built 40m antenna Fox hunt Dry run at Observatory hill at Mingo Park went well; hunters got close to fox but too much noise to get closer; they will try attenuating antennas; Mon valley club would like to participate. Picnic Friday 9, 6:00 PM at the Laboratory fire hall; notify Bud if you are coming 3. New Business Anyone wanting to show and tell something with the club at a meeting can add their name to the signup sheet (see Jim); spots are available for meetings later this year Anyone needing help with their station, towers etc., please let Bud know Prizes for Ham fest will be on a flyer on the web site There will be an exam session July 15 at 6:30 in our regular meeting room at the county building Jim moved to adjourn, Norma 2 nd, meeting adjourned at 8:12 Thanks to Bill (NY9H) for his talk on Echo Link and Jim for his show and tell. ~~ MENTOR PROGRAM COMING ~~ WACOM will start a mentor program at the time of our classes this fall. Class times and dates TBA Bill, NY9H, will lead the program.
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Picnic 2010 Page 6 Above Left: Denny, K8DKS Left to Right: Melanie, N9SOJ; John, N3GHR; Bill, NY9H; Valerie; Adam, NZ3S Left: Kevin, KB3JHO Below Left: Dave, N3IDH Below, Right, L to R: Norma, N3YJJ Fay, WA3VOM Deb, KD8KAC Bill, NY9H, considers this the perfect plate of picnic food!
Page 7 Picnic 2010 The W.A.C.O.M. Ham There IS a table laden with food behind all those people. Must have been VERY good!! Joe, N3XE Jim, KC3HW Joe, WA3WMB Bud, N3TIR Below: A time for a visit.
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham At the July Meeting Page 8 Bill, NY9H gives his presentation on Echolink. L to R, Below: Nick, WA3NB; Bill, NY9H; Bob, AB3ED Below Right, L to R: Norma, N3YJJ and Fay, KA3VOM Jim, KC3HW, shows a piece of glass from the first atomic bomb test site.
Page 9 The W.A.C.O.M. Ham ~ ~ ITEMS OF INTEREST ~ ~ DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL OR SWAP? SEND IN THE INFORMATION AND HAVE YOUR AD IN THE NEWSLETTER. SEND INFO TO n3zel@comcast.net LICENSING EXAM RESULTS There was an Exam Session on July 15, 2010, in Room 103, at the Washington County Building. We had three candidates, two achieving successful upgrades. Douglas Philips, KB3TOA, passed the Extra Class exam. Joseph Orzolek, N8EVY, passed the General Class exam. CONGRATULATIONS, GENTLEMEN!! Many thanks to our volunteer examiners: Bob, KB3IN; Carl, AB3FQ; Bud, N3TIR, and Ed, N3ZNI. Jacque, N3ZEL You Know You're a Ham if : - you buy electrical black tape in ten packs. - you've stripped wire with your teeth. - you've told your son that, "One day, all this will be yours", and he doesn't respond. - you'd rather help a buddy put up a new tower than mow the lawn. - you've grabbed the wrong end of a soldering iron. - you start giving out RST reports when you are on the telephone. - the propagation forecast means far more to you than the local weather forecast. - the microphone or visual aids at a meeting don't work and you rush up to the front to fix it. - you tell the XYL, when she notices a new rig in the shack, why that has been there for years. - your watch is set only to UTC. - at night, when you pray, it starts off something like: CQ CQ CQ GOD DE (your callsign). - you ever had to patch your roof after an antenna project. - Ham radio magazines comprise more than 50% of your bathroom library. - you ever put a GPS tracker in the XYL's car, just so you could watch her on APRS. - you and the XYL took a cruise so you could visit the radio room. - you ever tapped out HI in Morse on your car horn to another ham. - you ever had an antenna fall down. - your teenager refuses to ride in your car because it looks like a porcupine. - you know the Latitude and Longitude of your home QTH. - you go into the local Radio Shack store and the clerk asks you where something is. Author Unknown Thanks to Larry, AB3ER, President of Skyview.
Page 10 Field Day 2010 The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Scouts from Claysville, PA enjoy watching WA3WZR, Loren, operating CW and asking plenty of questions. Also in the picture (right, waving) is KC3HW, Jim our GOTA coach. (Posted at the Soap Box site at arrl.org) WACOM FIELD DAY SCORE Field Day Call Used: WA3COM GOTA Station Call: KC3HW Club Name: Washington Amateur Communications Participants: 73 Club or non-club portable Transmitters in simultaneous operation: 4 ARRL / RAC Section: WPA All power sources used. Generator Battery Other (list) Solar Power Multiplier: 2 Total QSO points: 1693 Claimed Score: 3386 Total Bonus Points Claimed: 1350 QSO Power QSO Power QSO Power 160 1 150 0 150 2 150 80 36 150 0 150 115 150 40 87 150 41 150 164 150 20 94 150 56 150 174 150 15 66 150 21 150 284 150 10 26 150 0 150 30 150 6 10 150 0 150 30 150 2 1 150 0 150 3 150 1.25 0 150 0 150 0 150 70 1 150 0 150 1 150 33 0 150 0 150 0 150 23 0 150 0 150 0 150 GOTA 0 150 0 150 10 150 Totals 322 CW 118 Dig 813 Phone Total CW QSO's: 322 X 2 = Total CW QSO points: 644 Total Digital QSO's: 118 X 2 = Total Digital QSO points: 236 Total Phone QSO's: 813 X 1 = Total Phone QSO points: 813
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham FCC ~ AMSAT Page 11 FCC Okays Employee Participation in Emergency Drills Moving with unaccustomed speed, the FCC adopted a Report and Order on July 14, allowing hams who are employed by both government agencies and non-government agencies such as hospitals, to participate in emergency and disaster drills on behalf of their employers. The ruling was based on a Notice of Proposed Rule Making, WP-10-72, issued this past March, in response to petitions arising from a strict interpretation by the FCC's Enforcement Bureau of the prohibition on amateurs communicating on behalf of their employers. The decision came just more than a month after the reply comment deadline. The ruling added a new paragraph to Section 97.113(a)(3) of the FCC rules, which reads as follows: (i) A station licensee or control station operator may participate on behalf of an employer in an emergency preparedness or disaster readiness test or drill, limited to the duration and scope of such test or drill, and operational testing immediately prior to such test or drill. Tests or drills that are not government-sponsored are limited to a total time of one hour per week; except that no more than twice in any calendar year, they may be conducted for a period not to exceed 72 hours. There is no specific effective date given in the Report and Order, so it will presumably become effective upon publication in the Federal Register. The complete text of the report and order may be accessed online at : http://www.fcc.gov/daily_releases/daily_business/2010/db0714/fcc-10-124a1.pdf More information will be posted on the ARRL Web site. ARLB019 Vanity Call Sign Fees to Decrease August 17 On July 19, the Federal Communications Commission announced via the Federal Register that the cost of an Amateur Radio vanity call sign will decrease 10 cents, from $13.40 to $13.30. The new fees take effect 30 days after publication, making August 17, 2010, the first day the new fee is in effect. In FY2010, the FCC expects to grant 14,800 vanity call signs, bringing in $196,840 from the vanity call sign program. Earlier this year, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order (NPRM), seeking to lower the fee for Amateur Radio vanity call signs. The notice in the July 19, 2010 edition of the Federal Register -- entitled "Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2010; Final Rule" -- includes all FCC regulatory fees; these fees are expected to recover a total of $336,712,213 during FY2010, encompassing all the Services the FCC regulates. The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934, As Amended, to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the costs associated with that program. The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new 10 year term. AMSAT Symposium Set for October in Chicago The AMSAT 2010 Space Symposium and annual meeting will be held Oct. 8-10 in Chicago, officials said. Events will take place at the Chicago-area Elk Grove Holiday Inn near O Hare Airport. It is the same hotel that hosted the recent Central States VHF Conference and W9DXCC events. AMSAT has also put out a call for papers to be presented at the symposium, published reports said. These can be on any topic of interest to the amateur satellite community. A final copy must be submitted by Sept. 1, 2010 for inclusion in the printed proceedings. Abstracts and papers should be sent via e-mail to K9JKM@amsat.org. World Radio Online
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham ARRL HAMTRAK TRAIN TRIP Page 12 For ease, any mention of Bob refers to Bob Mente NU3Q These are all the details for the trip: August 12-14, 2010 Arranged by Bob Mente, NU3Q -This is a multi club event. You do not need to be a member of any amateur radio club or a member of anything to come along. This is a fun trip for all. -To get on the train you will need photo ID. -We will be staying at the hotel for two nights. We have a special deal with the hotel. -The hotel is right across the street from the train station in Hartford. -The rental car company is located in the train station in Hartford. -We will be renting vans and cars to travel from Hartford to Newington. -We will have access to operate W1AW. Bring your Amateur Radio license. -Our visit to ARRL HQ will be on Friday August 13th at 9 AM. -Once you have made your arrangements PLEASE let Bob know so that he knows how many vans/cars to reserve. -You will pick up your train tickets at the AMTRAK station you will depart from the morning of the trip. -You can also catch the train from Greensburg, or any other train station along the way (points east of Pittsburgh) that works best for you. Details: Parking There is no place to park at the train station in Pittsburgh! There is a parking lot at 12th and Smallman Street (near the Heinz History Center) for about $6.00 a day where we can park. It is approximately a three block walk to the train station. The Pittsburgh Amtrak train station is located at 11th and Liberty, across the street from the Pittsburgh Transportation Center. Details: AMTRAK You can also call 1-800-USA-RAIL Or you can go on-line Go to www.amtrak.com The abbreviation for Pittsburgh is PGH The abbreviation for Hartford, CT is HFD Departing date is August 12th Returning date is August 14th You can leave Time at the default (Anytime) because there are no choices to pick from. Click on Round Trip. Select the number of adults, children and infants from the appropriate drop down boxes. Click GO. (Continued on Page 13)
Page 13 TRAIN TRIP (Cont) The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Details: The outbound trip You will see the following choices for the outbound trip: Choice 1: 30 Capital Limited - 148 Northeast Regional Choice 2: 42 Pennsylvanian 94 Northeast Regional 494 Shuttle Choice 3: 42 Pennsylvanian 148 Northeast Regional We are going to CT via the third choice 42 Pennsylvanian 148 Northeast Regional. Please be at the Pittsburgh Amtrak Station by 6:30 AM (if that is your point of departure), otherwise be at your departing Amtrak train station approximately an hour BEFORE the train is scheduled to leave the station. The 42 Pennsylvanian leaves Pittsburgh at 7:20 AM and arrives in Philadelphia (30th Street Amtrak station) at 2:50 PM. Our connecting train to Hartford (148 Northeast Regional) leaves Philadelphia at 5:00 PM and arrives in Hartford at 9:20 PM. I am selecting this route to allow for enough time to meet our connecting train to Hartford in case of any track issues along the way and for those who want to do some quick sightseeing in Philadelphia during the layover. Details: The return trip You will see the following choice for the return trip: 143 Northeast Regional 43 Pennsylvanian Our departing train will be the 143 Northeast Regional 43 Pennsylvanian. That is the only choice for our return trip. We need to meet at the Amtrak train station across the street from the hotel no later than 6:15 AM. The 143 Northeast Regional leaves Hartford at 7:08 AM and arrives in New York City (Penn Station) at 9:50 AM. Our connecting train for home (43 Pennsylvanian) leaves Penn Station at 10:50 AM and arrives in Pittsburgh at 8:05 PM. Details: DISCOUNTS/CHECK OUT At the bottom of the page there is a space for any discounts such as AAA or AARP. Take advantage of these discounts - there are instructions. The rest of the steps are pretty cut and dry billing and such. I just did my tickets and it came to $288.00 round trip for two adults with my AAA 10% discount. Details: Hotel We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Express Downtown Hartford. Their direct phone number is 1-860-246-9900 to make reservations. You will need to make the reservations. Ask for the Skyview Deal (this is the same name as last year). I talked to a gal by the name of Alison Oliver but they all should know about the deal. The room rate is $110.00 per night discounted from a normal room rate of $125 to $139.00 per night. We have 10 rooms reserved with king size beds. If we need more rooms, the hotel will try to accommodate us based on room availability. We will be staying the nights of August 12th and 13th. They have a continental breakfast. We will be heading back to Pittsburgh on the morning of Saturday August 14th. The hotel is across the street from the train station. Details: Rental cars We will need to drive from Hartford down to Newington, which is about a 20 mile drive. We will be able to rent 7 passenger vans. By the head count for the train I will call ahead and make sure we have enough vans/cars for our needs. I already have one van reserved and can get more if needed. Please keep in mind that I need to give the rental car company adequate notice should we need more than one van. The cost for a 7 passenger van is approximately $106.99 with my AAA discount. Again, the rental car company is right in the train station. The money for each van/car rented will be split up between the people riding in each van/car. (Continued on Page 14)
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham TRAIN TRIP (Con t) Page 14 Details: XYLs and non-hams For those folks that are not interested in the ARRL aspect of the trip, they will have the opportunity to spend the day doing whatever it is that they work out amongst themselves. I have been told that there are some large malls and outlets in the Hartford area. There will be lots of time to work this out on the train ride. Anyone interested can research this on the web. I also have the AAA CT Tour Guide as well. Details: ARRL HQ We will be going to ARRL HQ on August 13th Our tour is scheduled for 9 AM. If our group is too large for a single tour they will split us up into two tours and stagger our times to work W1AW. You can have QSL cards checked and deliver cards to the outgoing QSL bureau as well. Do not forget to bring a copy of your license you will need your license to operate W1AW! We will have Friday night free to do anything that we decide. We can split into groups if we want to do different things. We can talk about this on the train as well. Details: Responsibility Bob is not a travel agent. All information is to the best of his knowledge. Bob is not responsible for the trains being on time, breaking down, or any bad information given to him by people at the hotel, AMTRAK, the rental car company or ARRL. Even though you need to tell the hotel people that you want the Skyview Deal this is not a Skyview event. By traveling on this trip you travel at your own risk. Details: Trains and Train Stations I called Amtrak to inquire about electricity and Internet service. Since we are traveling coach, there may (or may not) be any electrical outlets available on the train it depends on the whether the particular train has any outlets in the coach section. At this time, there is NO Internet service available on the Pennsylvanian and Northeast Regional lines. At both the Philadelphia and Penn Stations, there is WiFi Internet service available inside the station itself. We are bound to have a great time on this trip! Looking forward to our travels together. If you have questions, comments, dirty jokes, etc., please feel free to e-mail or call me: Bob Mente 305 Ewing Road Carnegie, PA 15106 (412) 279-9016 nu3q@nu3q.com 73 DE NU3Q Bob Happens all the time, newsletter editors hit feast or famine and are scrabbling for news. Be warned if news doesn t continue to come in we will be printing photos and stories of dogs and cats who join us in our hobby. So keep the news coming! Thank you. and thanks from the Editor s dog who hates cameras!
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Operating Events Page 15 West Alexander Fair WACOM Special Event Station September 9 th thru September 11 th 2010 Labor Day Week Please keep these dates open to join in the fun of operating a special event station at a local fair. WACOM has done this event for the past 6 years and we always meet Hams at the fair. We also have a great chance to demonstrate our hobby to the general public. The food is as always a big item on our list. So come join us again this year at this fun event 73 Bud N3TIR ARDF Update Continued from Page 17 World Championships Coming Next The best performers in each category of the championships in Ohio and the championships last year near Boston have been invited to join ARDF Team USA and travel at their own expense to the 15th ARDF World Championships in Opatija, Croatia in mid-september. USA s team roster is being finalized at this time. Members of the team are attending training events in their localities, including a pair of two-day events at Mt Pinos near Frazier Park, California. I will have the results of Team USA s trip to Croatia in an upcoming ARDF Update, as well as the announcement of next year s USA championships. Our national championships are open to all, so now is the time to start learning the sport and helping the promising radio-orienteers in your own area to get ready. For more information about ARDF Team USA and the sport of ARDF, plus many more photos of the championships in Ohio, visit my Web site www.homingin.com. The equipment test event was on the campus of Miami University, next to a preschool. Event Co -chair Dick Arnett, WB4SUV took time to teach the kids about hidden transmitter hunting and let them try it for themselves. [Joe Moell, K0OV, photo] ARDF competitors must run through a marked corridor to the finish line. For the 80-meter event, the corridor went through Harker's Run, a creek swollen by recent rains. George Neal, KF6YKN, who won a medal at the last World Championships, ran through the creek at top speed with his antenna/receiver set and map board. [Joe Moell, K0OV, photo] Collecting one of her gold medals from Dick Arnett, WB4SUV is Lori Huberman of Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is Lori's second year of competition in the USA championships. [Joe Moell, K0OV, photo]
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham ARDF Page 16 ARDF Update: Radio Foxhunters Find Their Champions in Ohio Courtesy of and to ARRL By Joe Moell, K0OV, Contributing Editor, ARRL Amateur Radio Direction Finding Coordinator No shack potatoes here! These radio-orienteering enthusiasts took to the beautiful woods of the Buckeye State in pursuit of transmitters and medals. They came from 15 states and four foreign countries. In their suitcases were radio sets, antennas, sun block and running shoes, but they left some room in hopes of taking home a medal or two. They were the hams and future hams -- ranging from age 12 to older than 70 -- who went to Southwest Ohio in the third week of May for the 10th Annual USA Championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF). Some arrived early for the optional training camp where they would get practical lessons in the sport, also called on-foot foxhunting and radio-orienteering because it combines radio direction finding and map -and-compass navigation in the woods. And what woods they were! It would be hard to find another place in the USA with more and bettermapped forests for this growing sport. Four separate sites were used just for the two training days. ARDF is done on 80 meter CW and 2 meter AM in separate events, each with five fox transmitters. A course is typically three miles from start to each of the five transmitters (in optimum order) and then to the finish. Your mission is to find your assigned three, four or all five foxes, depending on which of the 11 age/gender categories you are in. Each transmitter is on for one minute at a time in a five-fox cycle that repeats. You must find your way on foot with just your direction-finding gear, the map you re given and your compass. GPS help is not allowed. This was the second time that hams from all over the country have come to the Buckeye State to strive for ARDF This is Barry Fox, W1HFN on the two-meter course with his measuring-tape yagi. Barry has been promoting transmitter hunting and organizing hunts near his home in Sterling, Massachusetts. [Joe Moell, K0OV, photo] ARDF competitors are started in small groups at the moment transmitter #1 comes on the air for a 5-fox cycle. Each person in a group is in a different age/gender category. In this start group for the 80- meter event are (left to right) Bob Cooley, KF6VSE; Jay Hennigan, WB6RDV; Judy Taylor, WD8EOP; Karla Leach, KC7BLA and Per-Axel Nordwaeger SM0BGU. [Joe Moell, K0OV, photo] medals. The first time was in July 2003, with participants bunking in dormitories on the Miami University campus. This time, the headquarters was an inn nearby in Franklin, Ohio, with more participants from more states. A Worldwide Sport All-on-foot transmitter hunting began informally about six decades ago in Europe, gaining so much in popularity in so many countries that the first World Championships were organized in 1980. The five-fox cycle and other rules were established by a committee of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) to standardize the sport so that it would be the same in all countries, as hams trained for international events. There are two sets of gold, silver and bronze medals in the USA Championships. Everyone competes for one set, while the other is just for Team USA s competitors. This makes it possible for stateside hams to win two medals in one try. Heading up the organizers of this year s events were Bob Frey, WA6EZV, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Dick Arnett, WB4SUV, of Erlanger, Kentucky. Both have earned medals at previous USA championships and each has represented USA at the World Championships in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. Both WA6EZV and WB4SUV wanted to compete this year too, so Bob teamed up with Brian DeYoung, K4BRI, to plan and execute the 2 meter event on Saturday. Dick, who was told nothing about this course, ran that day with all the other competitors. Sunday s 80 meter course was laid out and set by WB4SUV and Matthew Robbins, AA9YH, allowing WA6EZV to compete on that day. Continued on Page 17
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham ARDF Page 17 Continued from Page 16 Competitors received 11 17 inch color maps 10 minutes before their scheduled start times; they could fold them or mount them on a flat surface if they wished. Large map boards made from discarded political campaign signs were provided for those who wanted them. In accordance with IARU rules, competitors are individually timed. They start out on the course in groups at 5 minute intervals, with the starting horn coinciding with fox #1 coming on the air. No two people in a group are in the same age/ gender category, and since each category has a different set of three, four or five foxes to find, there are no follow-theleader problems. ARDF scoring is primarily by number of transmitters found, and secondarily by elapsed time. There is a limit, usually three hours, after which a contestant is disqualified. This makes it important to keep track of your time on the course. If you have found all but one of your required transmitters and time is getting short, you have a decision to make. Do you go to the finish and be listed after all those who found all the foxes for their category, or do you press on for that final fox and risk losing it all by being a few seconds -- or minutes -- over the limit? Bob Frey, WA6EZV was a Co-chair of the organizers. He and Co-chair Dick Arnett, WB4SUV have won many medals at USA Championships and have been to the World Championships four times. [Joe Moell, K0OV, photo] Saturday s 2 meter event was in Hueston Woods State Park, about four miles east of the Ohio-Indiana border near the town of College Corner. Heavy rain the previous evening had made the trails very muddy, but that didn t slow down Bryan Ackerly, VK3YNG, of Ferntree Gully, Australia. His marathon training made him the fastest of the day, finding all five 2 meter foxes and getting to the finish in one hour and 24 minutes. USA s fastest in that category was Ian Smith of Somerville, Massachusetts, who finished just 20 minutes later, at 1:44. Stateside hams won almost all of the other overall gold medals in categories for men and boys on 2 meters: Addison Bosley, KJ4VCV, of Erlanger, Kentucky, was first in M19; Matthew Robbins, AA9YH, of Cincinnati, Ohio, got the gold in M40, and George Neal, KF6YKN, of Maspeth, New York, was best in M50. Two years ago, George became the second Team USA member to capture a medal at the ARDF World Championships. Long-time orienteer Bob Cooley KF6VSE, of Pleasanton, California, won first in M60. No Americans competed in the new category for men over age 70. That 2 meter gold went to Per-Axel Nordwaeger, SM0BGU, of Bromma, Sweden. He was the course-setter of the 1994 World Championships in Stockholm, and he is still a leading competitor for his country as he turns 72 years young this year. In the categories for women, 2 meter overall gold medals were captured by Lori Huberman of Cambridge, Massachusetts (F21), Susanne Walz, DG4SFF, of Reutlingen, Germany (F35), Judy Taylor, WD8EOP, of Huntington, West Virginia (F50), and Ruth Bromer, WB4QZG, of Raleigh, North Carolina (F60). USA gold in F35 went to Jennifer Harker, W5JEN, of Austin, Texas. The 80 meter event on Sunday took place in the Miami University Natural Areas, a mix of wooded and developed parcels located just north of the main campus. Harker s Run meanders through the middle of it, a creek that was twice as deep as usual due to of the recent rains. One could still wade across in many places, so WB4SUV and AA9YH decided to put the creek in the corridor leading to the finish line. Spectators had great fun watching some foxhunters tear through it as if running on water. Others stopped, considered their options then carefully walked through. Eighty meter signals aren t reflected from hills and wet trees like 2 meter signals can be, so bearings are much more precise and competitor times are usually better. At just 53 minutes and 30 seconds, Ian Smith had the best five-fox time this day, beating VK3YNG by 15 minutes. With AA9YH not competing in the M40 category because he designed the course, that overall gold went to Matthias Kuehlewein, DL3SDO, of Tuebingen, Germany, followed by USA gold winner Leszek Lechowicz, NI1L, of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. All other category gold winners were the same as on two meters except F50, where no medals were awarded. Continued on Page 15
The Page W.A.C.O.M. 18 Ham The W.A.C.O.M. Page Ham 18 HAMFESTS 2010 * July * 11: North Hills ARC Hamfest-Northland Library Grounds-300 Cumberland Road- Pittsburgh, PA More Info: http://www.nharc.org-phone:412-760-7055-email:nharchamfest@hotmail.com Talkin: 147.09 Mhz 18: Somerset County PA Hamfest-Somerset County Tech Center-281 Technology Drive- Somerset,PA Talkin: 147.195/443.25 MHz-VE Testing Available 10 am More Info: http://www.k3smt.org * August * 22: Skyview Radio Society Hamfest/W.Pa. Section Convention- Skyview Radio Society Grounds, 2335 Turkey Ridge Road-New Kensington, PA-Talkin: 146.64 MHz (PL 131.8 hz tone) More Info: 412-860-0046/Email: kg3f@arrl.net--http://www.skyviewradio.net * October * 3: Monessen ARC MARCFEST 2010 Hamfest-Blaine Hill VFD-Elizabeth, PA-Talkin: 147.225/443.350 MHz More Info: Http://www.w3csl.com-Phone:412 287-8291-EMail: grilli@verizon.net * November * 7: WACOM Hamfest-Washington County Fair Grounds-2151 North Mail Street-Washington, PA Talkin: 145.49 Mhz More Info: 724-484-0207/Email: n3tir@arrl.net http://www.wacomarc.org Ham Toons courtesy of K4ADL http://www.qsl.net/k4adl
Page 17 The W.A.C.O.M. Ham YLS AND XYLS!!! There is an organization for you. It s called the Young Ladies Radio League Come join other Lady Hams and enjoy the fellowship. See all we have to offer at www.qsl.net/ylrl/index.html or contact Jacque, N3ZEL at n3zel@comcast.net <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*> Quarter Century Wireless Association Inc. Have you been a radio amateur for 25 years or more? Were you originally licensed 25 years ago or more, even if not continually? Well then please join us at the Quarter Century Wireless Association, Chapter 6 quarterly luncheon at Rocky II's. Located on PA Rt. # 51, just north of McKees Rocks, in Stowe Twp. at the Fleming Park bridge. Join our members who are like you, the foundation of amateur radio. There is much we can learn from them and from each other. And it's fun too. No reservation necessary. Contact Jacque, N3ZEL at n3zel@fyi.net for information