W6IFE Newsletter

President Doug Millar, K6JEY 2791 Cedar Ave Long Beach, CA 90806 562-424-3737 dougnhelen@moonlink.net

VP Dave Glawson, WA6CGR 23437 E Amberwick Pl Diamond Bar CA 91765 909-861-7036 wa6cgr@ham-radio.com

Recording Sec Mel Swanberg, WA6JBD 231 E Alessandro Blvd Riverside, CA 92508 909-369-6515 swanberg@pe.net

Corresponding Sec Kurt Geitner, K6RRA 1077 E Pacific Coast Highway #142 Seal Beach, CA 90740 310-710-7810 k6rra@gte.net

Treasurer Dick Kolbly, K6HIJ 26335 Community Barstow, CA 92311 760-253-2477 rkolbly@compuserve.com

Editor Bill Burns, WA6QYR 247 Rebel Rd Ridgecrest, CA 93555 760-375-8566 bburns@ridgecrest.ca.us

Webmaster Chip Angle, N6CA 25309 Andreo Lomita, CA 90717 310-539-5395 chip@anglelinear.com

ARRL Interface Frank Kelly, WB6CWN 1111 Rancho Conejo Blvd. #501 Newbury Park, CA 91320 805-499-8047 fk@event1.com

W6IFE License Trustee Ed Munn, W6OYJ 6255 Radcliffe Dr. San Diego, CA 92122 619-453-4563 edmunn@compuserve.com

At the 2 January 2003 meeting of the SBMS Pat, N6RMJ will talk about using WSJT-44 on EME. Recently there has been a lot of discussion about using WSJT-44 mode on microwaves and EME. Pat has been doing a lot of experimenting on both weak signal and EME paths and will give us a report about his efforts, the software and equipments used and possibly a demonstration at the next meeting. If you are interested in this very interesting way to increase your communication range, be sure to be at the meeting on Jan 2. The SBMS meets at the American Legion Hall 1024 Main Street (south of the 91 freeway) in Corona, CA at 1900 hours local time on the first Thursday of each month. Check out the SBMS web site at http://www.ham-radio.com/sbms/.

Prez Sez: Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and will have a happy New Year. 2003! Who would have "thunk" it. What are you going to do with microwaves this year? Now is a good time to sort of take stock. A good starting place is to preen the junk drawer. Next give up on projects that will never get there: sell that 3CX5000A and filament transformer and get something useful, and then dream about what could be. You can do it if you want to. What would it be? In the same note I'd like to thank each one of you for your participation and interest in SBMS. Each of us adds to the club and because of that we are more than the sum of our members. It is the excitement and willingness to learn and to share that you bring that makes us a great club. Thank you. Doug

Last meeting- Dave, WA6CGR had paperwork for ARRL club affiliation that he passed on to Bill, WA6QYR for name insertion. There was a report from the Beacon / Translator installation group. Glenn was tower climber installer; Dave CGR and Dick DNX donated cables. Should be able to work the translator out 60 miles from Heaps Peak DM14kf using 10w and a 12-db antenna on 1296 to a good 2304 receiver. Pat N6RJM talked about last tweaks to the SBMS sponsored 2 GHz and up worldwide contest. Pat should be having final details out to every microwave club soon. There was discussion on having another survey of who has what operational bands and who needs what parts to complete a rig. There is planning for a 24 GHz beacon with Rick, W6ESS, Dave WA6"CGR and Chuck, WA6EXV. 17 people present.

Activity reported at the 5 December SBMS meeting- Mel, WA6JBD is working on test equipment; Dick, WB6DNX has a 12 el loop yagi on 2 GHz to listen for the beacon, and tweaked his 10 MHz "standard" to be in agreement with other local standards; Gary W6KVC is working on his shack; Chuck, WA6EXVfinished and helped install the beacon/ translator, is working on 2304 preamps to lower noise figure; Bill, WA6QYR helped with beacon installation and has been cleaning up shack; Ken, WB6DTA assembled more 24 GHz kits and continued Pcom documentation and reported a 1296.10MHz net on Friday nights 8 pm; Rick W6ESS built a 3 GHz transverter for N6AX and is working on a power supply box; John, KJ6HZ is working on 2304 rig and has a new son; Kurt, K6RRA had a computer virus; Joonho, KG6MQS did some LNA tuning and had his 10 GHz rig to show; Chris, N9RIN had a new dish; Jeff, KN6VR is building a new house; K6HIJ is working on 24 GHz test equipment; Mike, W6YLZ has working TWT power supply and getting the IF radio adjusted; Pat, N6RJM burned up a 2 mtr antenna divider and coax with too much power; Larry, K6HLH has one of the HP GPS frequency references and attempted working the translator; Dave, WA6CGR helped on the Beacon installation and has a new EIP 578 counter that goes to 300 GHz.

Hello Micro wavers; we have just added some photos with descriptive labeling about the Qualcomm/ Globalstar "Round Boards". The labels show how the boards can be modified to provide a 1296 1 watt PA, and a 2.3/2.4 GHz LNA. The photos and labels are by Kerry Banke, N6IZW. He used a pair of the LNAs in his 2304 XVRTR. With the XVRTR and a 4-inch square horn antenna he copied the new Heap's Peak 2304.300 MHz Beacon /Translator from Mt Soledad. The beacon was S9 on the meter at a distance of 96 miles. More details later. Merry Christmas to all, Ed Munn, W6OYJ

Scheduling:

6 Feb Larry, K6HLH HP GPS freq reference

6 Mar Chuck, WA6EXV Heaps 2304.3 MHz Beacon/ 1296- 2304 MHz Translator

4 Apr TBD and elections

"Wants and Gots" for sale

For Sale General Microwave 460B Power meter with head $150 Mel WA6JBD 909-624-1113.

Want HP11517A external mixer and HP 11519A taper section 18-26.5 GHz Mel WA6JBD 909-624-1113.

Want- active triplers 13- 39 GHz as sold by Will W0EOM some months ago (CTR-960459, OS5PO S94-5124-7 or similar. Eric F1GHB at F1GHB@aol.com

Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year,

73's Bill

above: The Heaps Peak beacon / translator installers busy at work. Glenn, KE6HPZ up the tower and Dave, WA6CGR and Chuck, WA6EXV to the left watching, and Dick, WB6DNX digging in the back of the SUV for parts.

above: Closer view of Glenn installing the second part of the antennas. One array for 2304 MHz and one for 1296 MHz, both horizontally polarized.

 

above: Left to right- Dave cutting hardline in preparation of connector installation; Dick holding the wiggly line; and Glenn holding the clamps firmly. Several hours were involved in getting antennas in place followed by preparing hardline for placement. While the antennas were going up, Chuck was in the building installing the rig to the wall. It was a nice November day in that there was little wind and almost warm during the noontime starting. By quitting time as the sun was going down, it was getting cold.

The Heaps Peak Beacon / Translator installer group. WA6EXV, KE6HPZ, WA6CGR, WA6QYR, and WB6DNX.

The San Bernardino Microwave Society is a technical amateur radio club affiliated with the ARRL having a membership of over 90 amateurs from Hawaii and Alaska to the east coast. Dues are $15 per year which includes a badge and monthly newsletter. Your mail label indicates your call followed by when your dues are due. Dues can be sent to the treasurer as listed under the banner on the front page. If you have material you would like in the newsletter please send it to Bill WA6QYR at 247 Rebel Road Ridgecrest, CA 93555, bburns@ridgecrest.ca.us, or phone 760-375-8566. The newsletter is generated about the 15th of the month and put into the mail at least the week prior to the meeting. This is your newsletter. SBMS Newsletter material can be copied as long as SBMS is identified as source.

San Bernardino Microwave Society newsletter

247 Rebel Road

Ridgecrest, CA

93555

USA