W6IFE Newsletter

December 2004 Edition

President Chris Shoaff N9RIN 2911 Calle Heraldo San Clemente CA 92673 949-388-3121 cshoaff@netzero.net

Vice President Larry Johnston, K6HLH 16611 E Valeport Ave Lancaster, CA 93535 661-264-3126 ljohns@qnet.com

Recording Sec Mel Swanberg, WA6JBD 231 E Alessandro Blvd Riverside, CA 92508 909-369-6515 wa6jbd@verizon.net

Corresponding Sec Kurt Geitner, K6RRA1077 E Pacific Coast Hwy TMB142 Seal Beach, CA 90740 310-718-4910 k6rra@gte.net

Treasurer Dick Kolbly, K6HIJ 26335 Community Barstow, CA 92311 760-253-2477 dick@eventhorizons.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 wb6cwn@version.net

W6IFE License Trustee Ed Munn, W6OYJ 6255 Radcliffe Dr. San Diego, CA 92122 858-453-4563

w6oyj@amsat.org.

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At the 2 December SBMS Dave, WA6CGR will demonstrate noise figure measurements. Bring your preamps to test. 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/.

SBMS meeting parking- We have become a great number of members at meetings. We park next to the church in the adjacent lot or on the street and or in the lot across the street. Across the street the sign on the building shows: 1025 Main Street. MAIN STREET BISTRO. The sign on the parking lot says: CLIN CHIROPRACTIC CARE Dick, WB6DNX

A reminder that the third Saturday of each month is Microwave Activity Day starting around 10 am through mid afternoon.

Hi Everyone!

The SBMS Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, December 11th 2004 at the Lab in Wilmington, CA - same place as last year. Please mark your calendars. This will be a potluck as before and more details will follow as to suggestions for food, gift exchange, etc. Please send e-mail with any questions.

Thanks, Dave - WA6CGR - Party Host wa6cgr@ham-radio.comŠ

Last meeting- Welcome to new member Brian Yee, W6BY of Alamo CA. and James Morris, K1UJ of Moreno Valley CA. Welcome to visitor Charles Patton of Murrieta. TEB made his first club meeting visit since joining us. Discussion was held about having the Christmas Pot Luck again. Annual Dinner in January or February was discussed. Doug, K6JEY presented a fine talk about the various digital signal processing equipment available on the market with an eye toward using the DSP for noise reduction in IF radios rather than general usage. According to Doug the NIR-10 with version 4.02 software is good for voice operations but poor with CW and costs around $50 on ebay. The NIR-12, the latest model, is good on both voice and cw operations but costs around $200. JPS, the maker of the NIR series, is out of business after being purchased by Raytheon. The Timewave DSP-59+ is good on voice and CW if you have the latest upgrade and goes for a bit over $100. The Timewave DSP-599zx with rev 5 EPROM is a lot like the NIR -12 but better at CW, and not as good at voice, and goes for $300plus. The W4RT/FT-817 is nice and small, and draws much less current that the above. It is good on voice but not CW and costs around $150. It also mounts inside most radios. Radio Shack and MFJ units are poorer than the any of the other units. DSP processing in the newer HF rigs like the IC-746Pro is done at 15 KHz IF and is very good, but means that you have to pay $1,000 or more for a new IF radio. The best deal of the bunch for simple noise reduction was an NIR 10, and second was the W4RT. 25 present

below: Doug, K6JEY with his collection of DSP units and an FT-817 to demonstrate the differences of quality at the November SBMS meeting.

Scheduling.

6 January 2005 Dennis WA6NIA will talk about EME operations.

22-24 Jan ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes

3 Feb Dick K6HIJ What is the perfect IF rig.

11-13 June ARRL June VHF QSO Party

25-26 June ARRL Field Day

6-7 August ARRL UHF Contest

20-21 August ARRL 10 GHz and Up contest

10-12 September ARRL September VHF QSO Party

17-18 September ARRL 10 GHz and Up contest

Activity reported at the November SBMS meeting: Brian, W6BY went to MUD 04 has a 47 GHz rug and is working on ECHO link AD6FP-r Monday at 10 pm; Dick, K6HIJ tested his waveguide switch at MUD04 and found it to be better than test capability; Dick WB6JDH went to Pacificon with the QRP group and had fun; Chip, N6CA is building a 10 GHz beacon to put on High Potosi, NV; Dave, TEB is finishing up a 10 GHz rig and reported on the Downey club; Wayne KH6WZ went to MUD04 and has some 24 GHz Gunn diodes for 24 GHz wideband; Pat, N6RMJ went to MUD 04 and has a new" 23 inch produlan offset dish that works better than his previous 27 inch dish center-fed, heard that the Colorado group is going to win the 2 GHz and up in 2005; Dave, KI6FF is slowly assembling parts for a 10 GHz rig; Ken W6DTA is doing IF radio work for a 10 GHz rig; Jeff, KN6VR has a working 10 GHz rig; Doug, K6JEY has a 1296 MHz septum feed and is doing 47 GHz work; Howard WA6YGB has been fussing on 1296 MHz rig; Ed W6OYJ has been working with computer 2 GHz link WIFI link and is looking to update his QSL cards for VUCC (reporting for N6IZW/ WB6IGP working on better optical communicators and have electronic micrometer and some 24 GHz beacon; Jim,K1UK is getting back on microwaves; Bill, WA6QYR went to MUD04 picked up lots of free parts, got the reflock boards programmed and had fun; Chuck, WA6EXV has 10 ft dish tracking on sun with 0.1 degree, missed western Europe EME last week due to last minute equipment failure; Dick, WB6DNX now has UHF repeater on hill top and out of garage; Mel, WA6JBD has a CE15 spectrum analyzer from a antique store. ----

"Wants and Gots for sale"

Want WR75 transitions. 10 GHz mixer, WR90 and WR75 flanges, 10 GHz filter John KJ6HZ 909-683-1434

Want six runs of 7/8th inch hardline 100 ft each with connectors if possible Mike W6YLZ 310-383-1000

Want 144 MHz to 10 GHz transverter David KI6FF 714-891-5752

For Sale: a very large quantity of silver-plated brass flanges in WR42 UG-595/U (WG-20) cover flange. These are clean, ready to solder brass flanges in excellent condition for your K-band projects. The waveguide fits into this flange and buts up against the inside of the flange so you do not have waveguide exposed at the flange interface. Price is $6.00 per flange plus shipping. Reply direct by email n6ax@speakeasy.net. Shipping costs will be dependent on quantity purchased. I ship UPS, USPS or FedEx. Check my ebay screen name n6ax to see my feedback (all positive) and order with confidence. Thanks John, N6AX (714) 993-0435

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MICROWAVE UPDATE 2005

Chairman: Pat Coker, N6RMJ of SBMS

Planning Committee: Pat Coker, N6RMJ of SBMS

David Peters, KI6FF of WSWSS

Dennis Kidder, WA6NIA of SBMS

Presentations: Chip Angle, N6CA

Publicity: Wayne, KH6WZ

PRIZES: Dave Glawson, WA6CGR

Registration & Finance: Dick Kolbly, K6HIJ

Family Program: still needs a leader

Location: Sheraton Cerritos Town Center

List of Presentations:

SBMS 50 YEARS Dick Kolbly, K6HIJ

During MUD 2004 Pat found out that room is going to be important so will be talking with the Cerritos Hotel. Mel, WA6JBD will be collecting surplus store information for the junk run. The SBMS web site will be having MUD 2005 data soon.

below: Pat, N6RMJ with his remodeled 10 GHz rig. Offset dish and better receiver at the November SBMS meeting.

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Owens Valley Radio Observatory Project

Things are hold while Cal Tech reviews our proposal and while Observatory folk are tied up with other projects.

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73's Bill

below: Dick, WB6DNX looks over Dennis, WA6NIA who is tuning in stations on his wideband HF/VLF receivers that he had to demonstrate at the November SBMS meeting.

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 and beyond. 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