Welcome to the San Bernardino Microwave Society

February 1996 Newsletter:

San Bernardino Microwave Society - W6IFE Newsletter

President David Laag - WA6OWD
11614 Indian St. Moreno Valley CA 92557 909-924-1517

Editor Bill Burns - WA6QYR
247 Rebel Rd Ridgecrest, CA 93555 619-375-8566

Treasurer George Tillitson
PO Box 974 Wrightwood, CA 92397 619-249-6622

The 1 February, 1996 meeting of the SBMS will have Joe, WA6PAZ leading a primer on Gunnplexers and rigs for the beginner. See you 1930 hours local at the American Legion Hall 1024 Main Street Corona, CA.

Last Meeting- There were quite a list of personal preferences in books discussed by the attendees.

A list will be provided later in this edition. The business of moving meeting locations is still being discussed without a good replacement for the Corona American Legion Hall and its ability to serve our needs. The parking lot patrol apparently has been effective and needs to continue. Thanks to those who do the checking. Dick, WB6DNX brought in some more copies of the wideband FM gunnplexer reprints. Those interested need to contact Dick. Interest in the old SBMS Handbooks was raised and Bill, WA6QYR will bring in some to see what the members wish to do. Dave, WA6CGR and Eric, KD6GLP will be assembling the SBMS Homepage as a place for information about microwave.

Those wishing to send material need to prepare it in ASCII test and sent to dave@clubnet.net. Dave, WA6OWD solicited goals for the 1996 SBMS. Some of the ideas brought forth were: get every one active and on 10 Ghz or 5 Ghz; bring in more rigs to look at construction, show and tell; plan weekend tune up sessions- WA6CDR, WA6OWD, and other have shops with equipment; an antenna measurement/picnic some weekend; power and frequency measurement meetings. There was discussion about resending the SBMS letter to ARRL about some changes to the 10 Ghz Contest. It would appear that there are those in other parts of the country that move say 5 miles north and then 5 miles east to make the next QSO location- not quite the 10 miles in one straight line from the last site as intended by ARRL. Wideband FM and narrowband SSB were proposed as being two different modes. Hours of the contest were desired to include an early morning period where over land enhancements could be used.

27 people present.

New Member- Matt Mendenhall, KE6ALM from Norwalk, CA- welcome.

Scheduling:

24 Feb. SBMS dinner Cask and Cleaver in Cucamonga 6:30 meet, 7:30 eat. Eric, KD6GLP needs a head count at the meeting or call 909-899-3092. We will be ordering off menu. Gratuity will be added to the bill.
7 Mar Chuck, WA6EXV Transmission Lines and the Smith Chart revised.
4 Apr. Wideband FM 10 Ghz tune up party for those with gear ready to try.
2 May Dave, WA6OWD microwave cables
11 May 1296/2304 Mhz Spring Sprint
6 June Chuck, WA6EXV Noise figure Measurement session
8-10 June VHF QSO Party
4 July- moved to???
1 Aug.
3-4 Aug. UHF Contest

Equipment- Ed, W6OYJ brought in an amplifier model WBA-6 from Electronic Rainbow 6254 Lapas Trail Indianapolis IN 46268 317-291-7262 which reported to have 20 dB gain 1 Mhz to 2.5 Ghz. 2.8 dB NF (the plot shows 6 dB gain at 2.5 Ghz). Interesting broadband amp for the shop. Used a MAR-6 MMIC.

Ideas- Eric, KD6GLP will be taking a college class in printed circuit design soon and is looking for things to build. He has to do the layout, negative and etching. A couple of boards will be built. Contact him at 909-899-3092.

January VHF Contest- There was lots of discussion on the liaison frequency to be used. Generally the Santiago repeater 448.325 pl 141.3; 144.2 Mhz SSB for Jack in Mexico; 144.33 Mhz FM for San Diego. Saturday afternoon was when most were going to be out and about and on 10 Ghz.

Other microwave bands were reportedly to be active too. Next month, we'll report what happened.

Favorite Books as indicated by members at the January '96 meeting- SAMS- "Reference Data for Engineers"; RF Circuit Design"-Bowick [SAMS pub]; "RF Design Guide- Systems + Circuits + Equations"- Peter Vizmuller [Artech House]; "Communications Receivers- Principles and Design" - Rhode [McGraw Hill pub]; MIT Radiation Laboratory series; "Microwave theory and Measurements" - Lance; ARRL Microwave Experimenters Handbook" first version with the black cover; Proceedings of the Microwave Update [ARRL]; Proceedings of the Central States VHF Conference [ARRL]; RSGB VHF Handbook (white cover); early SBMS handout papers; ARRL RF design software; "The Art of Electronics" - Horriwitz and Hill; The Smith Chart book - Smith; 1973-79 HP catalogs for equipment showing up at swap meets; Motorola RF databooks and Design software for devices; HP AppCad software.

Other Microwave Groups:

About 12 of the San Francisco area microwavers met at Hayward in December, but no progress was made in forming a group or making a next meeting date.

The Denver area microwavers had snow and ice, so all were home keeping warm in December.

The San Diego Microwave Group met for a Christmas party, bringing wrapped white elephant microwave "gifts" to exchange.

Activity reported at the January meeting:

Stuart, K6YAZ is working on a counter, will be out in Jan contest.
Ed, K6ODV has been working on his 1.2 and 10 Ghz rigs. Is on 1296 Mhz EME.
Chip, N6CA is working to move Palos Verde beacon to Signal Hill.
Jack, N6XQ has a 6 ft dish and 15 w TWT in his van. To be in DM10 for Jan.
Lloyd, AB6SM will be out in DM 25/26 in Jan.
Matt, KE6ALM is building a wideband FM rig for 10 GHz.
Jeff, KN6VR is working on tower.
Jim, K6ML has been testing 1.2-1.3 Ghz filters.
Allan, W6CPL- no activity
George, K6GMV no activity
Joe WA6PAZ working on microwave talk to Downey club in March.
Bob, W6SYA is working on xtal osc for WBFM rig and has 1 w Qualcom 10 Ghz amp.
Paul KH6HME 1296 Mhz beacon now running full time. 10 Ghz beacon off until needed.
Dave, WA6CGR fixed WA6YLZ's radio.
Dave, WB6OVZ no activity.
George, K6MBL had some dishes to give away.
Ed, W6OYJ brought in amplifier to show and tell.
Phil, K6COY no activity.
Eric, KD6GLP built a 30 Mhz IF for WBFM rig.
Dick, WB6DNX cleaned the shack.
Ken, WB6DTA no activity, will be in DM22 in Jan.
Frank, WB6CWN worked on test equipment.
Chuck, WA6EXV no activity, plans to be on Keller in Jan.
Phil, W6HCC was working on a 2-8 Ghz amp.
Bill, WA6QYR worked on cleaning the shack.
Dave, WA6OWD started drilling holes for the 3 band rig. Will be out in Jan.

"Wants and Gots For Sale"

Need info, manuals, etc. on PM1 Model 1038- Stuart K6YAZ 818-887-9144
Need tech data, schematic on Temp One Plus w/ssb/one- Ed K6ODV 909-689-9026.
Want 24 Ghz mixer and 3' dish- Dick WB6DNX 714-529-2800
Need use of Service monitor, 10 Ghz counter- Eric KD6GLP 818-791-3996
Need "Front BC" license plate and mud repellent- Jack N6XQ 619-224-8879
Have some stock of "Qualcom parts", call Dave, WA6CGR 909-861-7036

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Date: 08 Jan 96 23:43:23 EST
From: "Robert E. Munn" <75353.1255@compuserve.com>
Today I received a letter from the ARRL written by John Hennessee, KJ4KB, their Regulatory Information Specialist. He apologized for the delay in response to my November letter via Emil Pocock, W3EP. The comments are as follows:

" I am pleased to hear that you and others are experimenting with a 10 GHz repeater. One of the basic purposes of the Amateur Radio Service is experimentation. I can only see one problem with the set up you mentioned. Since it involves linear translator operation, the method of identification comes up.

The repeater must be identified properly on all frequencies which it operates. If you can be sure that all users will do that, there's no problem. Otherwise, you need to devise an identification method for all of the frequencies within the bandpass. 73. "

So if we follow the method used for the amateur radio linear translator satellites, then we should be ok. That method involves one or two continuously operating beacon/telemetry signals within the bandpass, which identify the satellite station callsign (the translator). The stations which transmit through the satellite translator identify with their own callsigns and those of the stations being contacted....not the satellite's callsign. As we already have an identifier beacon within the bandpass operating continuously, we seem to satisfy the rules. Our translator operates with an offset frequency of .00001 Hz. If you can disprove this, let us know how you did it.

73s from Ed, W6OYJ

P.S. We must still observe the ARRL Contest rules which forbid counting repeated QSOs for contest credit!!

Date: 09 Jan 96 01:15:35 EST
From: Ed Munn (This bulletin copied from K6PD-1 packet bbs on 145.010)
K7DCG NR 002/96 TO ALL
SUBJ: NEW CALIFORNIA BILL AB 104
Reprint from World Radio (Newsfront) Page 7. February 1996 Issue. CC&R;'s Cannot Ban Small Antennas

California governor Pete Wilson has signed Assembly Bill 104 into law that voids and makes unenforceable land use Conditions Covenants and Restrictions, that prohibit the installation or use of video or television antennas. This includes satellite dishes measuring up to thirty-six inches in diameter.

AB 104 does give associations the right to reasonably restrict or regulate such installations, but directs that any application for an installation must not be willfully delayed. The new law even allows the award of attorney's fees for the prevailing party in an action to enforce compliance with the bill.

AB 104 was written by Assemblyman Dan Hauser and had heavy backing from Pacific Telesis.

California hams should not expect to see an announcement of AB 104 in their homeowners association newsletters. Most homeowners associations probably hope that hams never hear about the new measure. As stated earlier, AB 104 covers only small antennas designed for receiving television signals and satellite TV. While you might get away with a 2 Meter beam, a tri-band array will definitely be subject to challenge.

ARRL PACIFIC DIVISION UPDATE- FEBRUARY, 1996 by Brad Wyatt, K6WR, Director, Pacific Division, ARRL 18400 Overlook Rd. #5, Los Gatos CA 95030-5850 (408) 395-2501 (Phone and FAX) Packet: K6WR@N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA Internet: K6WR@arrl.org

The Second 2.4 GHz Repeater in the Pacific Division is on the Air:- Over the holidays, K6PRK/R went to the top of Black Mountain in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is at 2800 feet and 60 feet above the terrain. There are 2 repeaters linked together, 1.2 & 2.4 gig. The frequency for the 1.2 is 1284.850 (-12 MHz), and the 2.4 is 2424.850 (-20 MHz). The coverage for both repeaters is impressive. You can work the 2.4 gig repeater from Los Positas College in Livermore with 100 milliwatts! Coverage is very good throughout the Bay Area. We had a magnificent team effort to get the repeater built, tested and installed. For more information, contact Dan Smith, K6PRK, at email adassc@tevm2.nsc.com.

New Amateur Radio Station at the National Weather Service in Monterey, CA:- The Monterey Peninsula Amateur Radio Emergency Service has established a voice and digital station at the NWS Forecast Office in Monterey, California. During communications emergencies this station will serve as a distribution point of weather data utilizing Amateur Radio frequencies and the existing San Francisco Bay Area Spotter's Network. As an experiment, the station is currently listening on 144.93 Mhz for 1200-baud signals and on 145.71 for 9600-baud signals. Connect to NWS and you will be into a full service BBS. Connect to WH6DT-4 for keyboard-to-keyboard on 1200 and WH6DT-7 for keyboard-to- keyboard on 9600. For more information, contact Greg Pool, WH6DT Phone: 408-649-6790; email: wh6dt@amsat.org; packet: wh6dt@k6ly.#cenca.ca.us.noam.

Pacific Division and ARRL WWW Home Pages:-- Through the diligent efforts of Alameda County ADECs Randy Foutch, KE6HCI, and Paul Carlin, KE6NVU, together with a dedicated band of associates, the Pacific Division Home Page is now "on the air." It can be found at http://www.pdarrl.org/ . In addition to a great deal of information on the ARRL Pacific Division, it contains links to other worthwhile pages, including the ARRL Home Page. The ARRL Home Page can be accessed directly at http://www.arrl.org/ , with links back to the Pacific Division Home Page and other sites. Give the Pacific Division Home Page a look! Many thanks to Randy, Paul, and their colleagues, for their hard work.

Telecommunications Reform:- Telecommunications reform is currently one of the key topics in Congress. Both the House and Senate have passed differing Telecommunication Reform Acts. Apparently these bills focus on broadcast TV, cable TV, telephone service and related matters. It appears that these bills do not affect the Amateur Radio Service directly, but there may yet be surprises. A conference committee from both houses is trying to reconcile the differences between S. 652 and H. R. 1555. The conference committees have been named (in the Pacific Division, from the House, Anna Eshoo (D) CA 14th is a member). Little progress has apparently been made pending the resolution of the overall budget battle which continues as this is being written on Jan. 7. The mood in Congress seems the Washington Team continues to monitor these developments and be active on our behalf. See page 15 of January QST for additional information.

Spectrum Protection Battles Continue:- The 2300 - 2310 MHz battle is probably coming soon. There is a proposal by the NTIA to make this segment available to Land Mobile Services, but this would require "auction authority" from Congress. This authority is currently stymied by the Federal budget impasse. Unfortunately, this problem could come back very quickly after the budget impasse is resolved. NTIA has also written a letter to FCC urging FCC to issue an Notice of Proposed Rule Making for the Apple Petition which involves a sharing of the frequency allocation in the ham band at 5.7 GHz. See earlier Updates for details.

Antennas, Towers and Ordinances:- The negotiations over these ordinances continue in Fresno, Sonoma and Napa counties. Fresno appears to be a long term project into late 1996; Sonoma next event will be a Board of Supervisors meeting Jan. 24; Napa next event will be a Board of Supervisors meeting Jan. 23. Good luck! Please forward copies of all antenna, tower and related ordinances to Phil Kane, N6SP, who is collecting this data for the Pacific Division. Phil can be reached at P. O. Box 280192, San Francisco CA 94128-0192, (415) 369-7373 and commlaw@netcom.com. Please read the article by Chris Imlay, N3AKD. ARRL General Counsel, "But I Never Agreed to That" starting on page 47 of Dec. 95 QST.

SOME EMAIL ADDRESSES OF HAMS INTERESTED IN MICROWAVES. revised Jan 10, 96 by WA1MBA

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THE NORTHEAST USA

n1baq = Bob = bobe@ids.net
n1bwt = Paul wade = n1bwt@iii.net
n1bwt = Paul wade W = wade@netcad.enet.dec.com
n1ekv = Byron Blanchard = ratio@tiac.com
n1dpm = Fred = freddpm@aol.com
wb1fkf= Don Twombly = wb1fkf@usa1.com
k1fwf = J Allen H = jallen@vhfcom.com
k1fwf = J Allen W = jallen%pvision@mcimail.com
wa1mba= Tom Williams W = tomw@aai.com
wa1mba= Tom Williams =WA1MBA@aol.com
wa1tfh = swiniarj@corp.macom.com
k1tr = Ed = esp@mvuss.att.com
w2ttm = Ed = odyseus@delphi.com
wz1v = Ron Klimas = klimas@uhavax.hartford.edu
kb1vc = Matt Reilly H = mhr@iii.net
kb1vc = Matt Reilly W= reilly@rock.enet.dec.com
k2riw = Dick Knadle = rknadle@ail.com
k2uyh = Al Katz = katz@astro.ge.com
wa3axv = Ron = whitsel@marlin.nosc.mil
w3ep = Emil Pocock = pocock@ecsuc.ctstateu.edu
wg3i = Dave Robinson = g4fre@amsat.org
na3t = mack@fcrfv1.nc1fcrf.gov
kd5ro = Dave Haliday = dhallidy@mdsroc.com
kh6cp = Zach Lau = zlau@arrl.org

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MOSTLY WEST COAST ADDRESSES

k1ct = Bill Calderwood* = n23@cnsp-emh.san.mrms.navy.mil
w6asL = Jim Von Striver = jimw6asl@aol.com
n6ca = Chip Angle = chip@anglelinear.com
wa6cgr = Dave Glawson = wa6cgr@ham-radio.com
wb6cwn = Frank Kelly = mkelly@aol.com
wb6dnx = Dick Bremer = rabremer@pacbell.com
w6dxj = Pete Bauer * = bauer_pw@nosc.mil
ky6fb = Oscar Quintana *= oquint@connectnet.com
n6gn = Elmore,Glenn = glenne@sr.hp.com
wb6igp = C. Hough = CLHOUGH@aol.com
k6hij = Dick Kolbly = 70541.2312@compuserve.com
n6izw = Kerry Banke = kbanke@qualcomm.com
ae6l = frank Adams * = fadams@nosc.mil
ne6o = Jim Cooper * = cooperjim@aol.com
w6oyj = Ed Munn * = 75353.1255@compuserve.com
kc6qhp = Tony Long * = t_long@ix.netcom.com
wa6qyr = Bill Burns = bburns@ridgecrest.ca.us
kk6tg = Erickson,Bruce = brucee@sr.hp.com
n6tyf = Mike McGinnis * = mcginni@nosc.mil
wb6wyr = Dennis Dauben *= dennis_dauben@cpqm.saic.com
n6xq = Jack Henry * = n6xq@aol.com n6xq, = n6xq@ham-radio.com = jack@sisna.com
wb6zif = Gary Goldbaum = wb6zif@deltanet.com
wb7abp = Rhymes Lynne = lynnr@sr.hp.com
n7ccb = Kirk = bailey@oneworld.com
wa7shi = Gary = go@ao.com
w7pua = Bob = boblark@aol.com

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KEY: If there are 2 addresses (Home = H, Work = W) the PREFERRED ADDRESS is noted with a & and given first. Approximate order is Call District, Suffix. * San Diego Area X-bander.

IF THERE ARE ANY ERRORS PLEASE SEND ME A MESSAGE. THANKS. I will send out an updated one occasionally with any corrections or additions. Eventually I will try to convince a local service to make this list into an FTP/www accessible thingy. Thanks for your help. Tom Williams tomw@aai.com WA1MBA

73's Bill - WA6QYR


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