celebrate our september members · secretary james wraalstad wq7h [email protected] 425-823-0247...
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Volume 43, Issue 09 Mike & Key Amateur Radio Club – Seattle September 2015 From your Club President...
M&K Members in Contest & Celebration By Gary Bryan KG7KU, President
We all enjoyed the Club’s Annual Picnic at Coulon Park in Renton, 15-August. Thanks so much to Hal N7NW and Annie Rosello for the plan going in and wonderful BBQ and members-chat. Soon we move into a more ‘inside the House mode,’ get out for Contests as applicable, and review how the year has gone, with its successes. Many members will help with the Seattle Marathon as it comes into view for preparation. At the upcoming September General Membership meeting, some members will be out chasing contacts during the Salmon Run Contest. The Wind Storm event that recently came through Western Washington is an example of the need to be prepared for anything at any time. We may be in for a rough winter if that is any indication. M&K Club’s Ken Rau K7YR reported a devastating loss to the Lake Chelan ARC Towers and Equipment due to the fires in Eastern Washington. The M&K Club has been approached by Chuck Stroeher WA7EBH that perhaps M&K could find a way to make a contribution to the rebuild effort. We have been in contact with the leadership there, and understand that this could take some time, so we await notification as suitable donation options are made available. I mention preparation… and the need for Member’s input… here is a photo taken at our last M&K Board Meeting 01-Sept (not shown Michael Hansen KG7MX who was in attendance also).
Point is, the best way for each of you to get involved in the Club is with having an awareness of the needs of the Club – even your suggesting ways of doing things - can be brought into the conversation. These Board meetings are open for all members to attend. Your input is valued. This same Board will deliberate options for the many challenges the Club faces throughout the year, and especially has a keen interest in Member involvement long before the Fleamarket arrives. Consider your part – whether contributing to a Committee or running for an Office at Club elections time. The Wealth of the Club is measured best by the diverse duties carried out by individual members. Looking forward to seeing you at the 19-September meeting!
Celebrate our September Members By David Smith, KB7PSN, Treasurer
As of September, 2015, these folks have been Mike & Key members for the number of years shown. Congratulations to all of you, and thank you for your participation and service. Each of you makes us who we are. Happy Anniversary this month! John McGee KI7OT 23 Years Betty Westby N7UII 23 Years Mike Foster KM7F 21 Years Scott Robinson AG7T 15 Years Charles Sundberg K7PHZ 15 Years Rachelle Gill KF7QCN 14 Years Teresa Vaughn AD7CT 12 Years John Saunders KD7UI 11 Years John H. Keene KE7OND 8 Years Shelley Stark KF7TBA 4 Years
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Postal Address: Web Site: Send dues to: P.O. Box 4234 www.mikeandkey.org Mike & Key ARC
Renton, WA 98057-4234 P.O. Box 4234 Renton, WA 98057-4234
K7LED Repeaters: Email: Send newsletter submissions to:
146.82 output / 146.22 input info @ mikeandkey.org Michael Dinkelman, Relay Editor
(PL 103.5)Tiger Mountain n7wa @ arrl.net 253-631-3756
224.120 output / 222.520 input Reflector: (PL 103.5)Tiger Mountain http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/mkarc
Club Contacts
President Gary Bryan KG7KU kg7ku @ arrl.net 253-279-3949 Vice President Rachelle Gill KF7QCN [email protected] 425-870-7792 Secretary James Wraalstad WQ7H [email protected] 425-823-0247 Treasurer Dave Smith KB7PSN kb7psn @ yahoo.com 425-235-5095 Activity Manager Robin Carter WA7BRI rjc @ centurytel.net 253-858-2008 Radio Officer Hal Goodell N7NW n7nw.hal @ comcast.net 253-549-4178
Trustees -- No. 1 – Education & Training Jim Monson K7JGM jgmonson @ earthlink.net 206-245-8485 No. 2 – Membership (CoB) Monica Cook KF7QLX mdcook67 @ gmail.com 253-245-6435 No. 3 – Technical David Yarbrough WA7DY [email protected] 425-445-2792 No. 4– Public Service Tim Kane K7ANE k7ane @ arrl.net 206-251-7467 No. 5 – Facilities Peter Glaskowsky K4PNG [email protected] 425-615-8700
VE Testing Scott Robinson AG7T ag7t @ arrl.net 425-788-0452
Membership Committee— [email protected] Monica Cook KF7QLX [email protected] 253-245-6435
Logo Committee Jim Aigner N7MU jimaigner @ comcast.net 253-630-2752
Club Library ‘Toku’ Okumura AD7JA ad7ja @ msn.com 206-772-2450
Webmaster Jim Etzwiler KD7BAT kd7bat @ arrl.net 425-788-7887
Mike & Key Online –The followingClub resources are available:
On the Web – The Club's site at www.mikeandkey.orgincludes extensive information about Club activities and events, such as: VE testing, membership, past editions of the Relay and more.
Reflector – The Club's public message board offers an easy and free way to converse with Club members.To sign up, visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/mkarc .
E-Relay – Help the Club save on printing and postage, send Email to the Relay Editor: n7wa @ arrl.net.
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New member Thomas Helm KG7UME Welcome to the group
M&K Club – September Activities By Robin Carter WA7BRI, Activities Manager
With Summer nearing its end, it’s time once again for a little didactic adventure at our next M&K General Meeting. The Topic: “NVIS Antennas and You!”. Yours truly will give a brief overview of this important means of propagation that is useful for both fun, contesting, and during serious emergencies. I’d also like to thank all of you for your generous support throughout the year in our monthly raffle activities, especially your fine showing for the Icom IC-735 Raffle at last month’s picnic. All raffle tickets purchased since last January will serve as the “drawing pool” for the December Grand Prize Raffle of an Elecraft KX3. As always, please send along your ideas and suggestions for future presentations to me at [email protected].
M&K September Door Prizes By Robin Carter WA7BRI, Activities Manager
This month’s 10 Raffle Items include the following:
Red Sierra Jacket/Parka (size XL) in like-new-
condition
Velleman “Helping Hand” with Magnifier, Alligator Clips & Adjustable Arms
Cen-Tech 7 Function Digital Multimeter
3/8” x 75 ft Camouflage Poly Rope
Pittsburgh 6” Magnetic Parts Holder
Two (2) Atomic Alarm Clocks with Indoor Temperature & Moon Phase Indicator
HFT 3.5” Mini-LED Flashlight
High Sierra Backpack with Multiple Zipper Pockets
Pittsburgh Precision Pliers Set with Lifetime Warranty (not shown)
Raffle items
Extra Class Scheduled By Daniel Stevens KL7WM
An Extra Licensing Class has been scheduled in Kent for October 3, 17 and 24, 2015. This is a 24 hour 3 Saturday course with the test at the end. The class is FREE, but the test cost $15. The class has a high pass rate and will answer all the questions in the Extra Question Pool. Multiple instructors will bring their experiences and show and tell items to demonstrate. This is the easiest way to upgrade. The class will be held at Kent Fire Station 73, 26512 Military Road South, Kent WA, 98032. This is easy to get to off I-5. Take Exit 147, off I-5 onto South 272nd Street. Go east one block to the light at Military Road S and turn left. The Fire Station is on the right just past the park. The class is sponsored by the Kent Communication Support Team (KCST) and the Federal Way Amateur Radio Club (FWARC). The contact to register for the class is Daniel Stevens, KL7WM. Just send an email requesting the Extra Class to [email protected]
Training Report By Daniel Stevens KL7WM
I was going to take the summer off, but Tukwila called twice for Technician classes and the National Guard called for a class too. The three Technicians classes produced 56 Technicians, 6 Generals and 3 Extras.
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The August Technician class got so large we used both the north and south training rooms. We split the 5 teachers so each room had at least 2 instructors. Marty Grisham, the Tukwila Emergency Manager, was very pleased with nine new Firemen who passed their amateur licenses. The Ballard September 19 and 26, 2015 Technician class has 33 signed up as of September 3, 2015.The October 31, and November 1, 2015 Technician class is starting to fill up also. Here is the class schedule (as of now) for the rest of 2015 September 19 and 26 Technician Ballard October 3 or 10, 17 and 24 Extra Kent October 31 November 1 Technician Federal Way November 14 and 21 Technician Ballard November 14 and 21 General Ballard So far this year, out of 8 classes there are 182 New hams 155 Technicians, 55 Generals, and 29 Extras. 3 have passed all three tests at one time. Daniel Stevens KL7WM, Training Coordinator 206 228 9274
West Seattle Classes Scheduled By Curt Black WR5J
The West Seattle Amateur Radio Club is offering a ham radio license class in South-West Seattle November 6, 7 and 8 2015. This class is for the Technician License, the introductory level of licensing in amateur radio. We are using a conference room of Beckwith and Kuffel Inc., at 1313 S 96th St, Seattle , WA 98108. Class will be 5pm to 9pm Friday and 9am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday and will conclude with a testing session. Contact the club President, Ken, AB7X at 206 933-0459 or [email protected] for more information or to signup.
Membership Committee Report By Rita Danielson KD7CNU
With summer coming to an end, it’s time to resume our monthly membership committee meetings.
We have a few things to discuss and would like to extend an invitation for you to join us at Chipolte near the Fred Meyer in Renton following the general meeting and program on Saturday, September 19
th.
We are always open to new ideas as to what we can do for you our Club Membership. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. We are here to listen to you and consider any and all ideas. If an idea needs to go before the board, we have our liaison to speak for us. But we can’t be a voice for you, if you don’t let us know what’s on your mind regarding the club. Please don’t be shy. You don’t have to join our committee to let us know what you’re thinking. You can e-mail us at [email protected] or write down your idea and give to one of us at the general meeting. We will do what we can to bring your idea to reality. 73/88 Rita KD7CNU Membership Committee
Some Club Stats By Dave Smith KB7PSN
- 46% (94) Club members have obtained an Extra class license. - Half of the current Club members have been with the club 11 years or longer. - 158 Club members get an electronic copy of the published Relay
Fall is here! By Jim Monson, K7JGM
Dear Sis, Fall is here! Yes I know we are technically still in the Season that is called “Summer” but the leaves are starting to turn, there is a nip in the morning air, the sun has a silver tone to it, football season is back and it is time to see how the summertime improvements I made to my Ham Shack will make the winter seem short. The biggest improvement was to my antenna farm by installing a 160 meter Carolina Windom in my suburban neighborhood. If you are wondering what that is Sis, that is an antenna that is almost as long as a football field. I have some very nice neighbors that let me fly that antenna above their houses and attach to a 50’ tall Cedar at the last neighbor’s place. I finally figured out when using my tennis ball launcher, it is best to estimate the amount of fishing line for the launch to get up and over the tree, lay the fishing line out as neat as you can, take aim and fire. The “apparently” minor resistance from the fishing reel I used to manage
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the fishing line is not minor at all. Needless to say, the fishing reel is back in the tackle box.
We did a fantastic job shooting the fishing lines over the highest peaks on the Cedar trees and when the antenna was finally up we had it close to 50’ in the air. I was very happy. As you can see by the graph the antenna is electrically slightly long at 160 through the 60 meters, acceptable on 40 meters and electrically slightly short on everything above 40 meters. A decent antenna tuner takes care of that. FYI Sis, an antenna tuner is a bit of a misnomer, it does not tune the antenna, it is like a pain reliever for the radio, it helps the radio with the discomfort of the mismatch.
(Those of you with an e-Relay will be able to zoom this graph up nicely)
About a week later we had a high wind storm coming in so I decided to take down my CrankIR portable vertical antenna. (I will write more on CrankIR and how it stacks up against a Buddipole and an Alexloop Walkham later). I came back out and my friend Tim, KK7TJS said in an amused tone, “wow, you are taking this wind storm seriously!” I asked what he meant and he turned and pointed to the rooftop where the Carolina Windom’s balun and isolation unit were resting on the roof. That alarmed me greatly since I had not lowered it. I looked at the attachment point on the property where I live and all was fine. I went down the street to my neighbor’s house to find them trimming the 50’ Cedar. Apparently 3/16” black Dacron rope is invisible in a Cedar tree! I should find Fluorescent Dacron! I went out the next day and put the antenna back up. It is not as high on the neighbors side; the windy conditions blew the tennis ball off it’s original course into a nook in the tree about 10’ lower than it originally was. I now have a “slight” sloper antenna. While it seems to still work fine and the antenna analyzer shows exactly the same results as the graph posted, it bugs me… a little. That will be a project for next spring… Love, your brother, Jim, K7JGM
VOACAP Web Bonus
Some of you may have heard that VOACAP is a Web application these days (if you prefer that interface). Now there is an interesting addition. If you go to www.voacap.com/dx.html and enter your grid square (most of us are CN87) you will see propagation predictions for the latest upcoming DXpeditions. It takes a few seconds to do the calculations. You get both Short and Long path graphs. Here’s an example for CN87 and the upcoming Niue (E6GG) expedition. (Again, zoom up your e-Relay.)
The current list of expeditions includes: - E6GG, Niue (Sep 2015) - D67GIA, Comoros (Sep 2015) - S79SP, Seychelles (Oct 2015) - E51MQT & E51MKW, Northern Cook Isl (Oct 2015) - TX3X, Chesterfield Isl (Oct 2015) - XX9, Macao (Oct 2015) - T42US, Cuba (Oct 2015) - T32DX, E Kiribati (Oct 27 - Nov 3, 2015) - 3B9HA, Rodrigues Isl (Nov 2015) - 3C7GIA, Equatorial Guinea (Nov 2015) - VK9WA, Willis Isl (Nov 2015) - KH5, Palmyra (Jan 2016) - E51J, Rarotonga, Southern Cook Isl (Jan 2016) - VP8SGI, South Georgia (Jan 2016) - VP8STI, South Sandwich (Jan 2016) - VK9CK, Cocos (Keeling) Isl (Mar 2016) - VK0EK, Heard Isl (Mar/Apr 2016) - FT4JA, Juan de Nova (Apr 2016)
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Club Member Nuptials By Michael, N7WA
I wasn't able to make the August Club Meeting/Picnic but I had a decent excuse. It was the same day as the marriage of fellow Club member Guy N7ZG. Since the ceremony was down near Shelton, it would have been tough to make both. Congratulations to Guy and his lovely wife Michelle. Some of you might have met her at the Fleamarket where she helped out in Registration and selling tickets.
Fleamarket Rumblings By Michael, N7WA
I just spent part of my vacation updating the Fleamarket database so Diane can start her registration entries. Next will be the requests for sanctioning by the ARRL and for labels. Oh yes…, Fleamarket time is here. The organizing committee will hold the kickoff meeting at the Dinkelman residence on the second Tuesday of October (the 13th). It'll start about 7PM. Whether you are a committee chair or not, all members are welcome. Maybe you would like to see how the event is organized? Maybe... just maybe... you would like to assist? (We have committee chair positions that work even better when there are two people sharing the duties and it's a great way to get involved.) Don't forget that the November General meeting will be dedicated to stuffing and labeling envelopes. The on-line signup forms are not yet available. I am hopeful to get
that done by the end of October. Then the arm twisting begins in earnest. Oh... when is the Fleamarket? Mark your calendars for March 4th and 5th of 2016.
Washington State QSO Party By Michael, N7WA
Probably better known as the Salmon Run, this has grown to be one of the most popular State QSO Parties (in the top 5). Maybe that is because the winners get some smoked salmon as a prize! It happens at a great time of year, just around the Autumn equinox so propagation is usually decent. Of course, ol' Sol has been pretty quiet lately so it's unknown how much DX will be there but the USA provides plenty of action. You can operate at home and try to win your county. You can go out on the road and try to win another county - Field Day style. (Some counties in Washington have fewer than a couple dozen Hams and most don't get on so you could be really popular.) The full rules are available at http://www.wwdxc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2015-Salmon-Run-Rules.pdf. You can see what counties have been promised to be activated at http://www.wwdxc.org/2015-county-activity/. (Don't let that stop you from choosing the same county – reserved counties are not exclusive.) There are over 26 categories you can choose to operate within. I know that there is a desire by those outside Washington to see more of the digital types to get on (RTTY, PSK31) from inside the State. Personally, I will be going mobile solo this year. I have a goal of operating from all counties of eastern Washington. It'll be a challenge and I'll miss my usual driver Jim K7ND but he's already put in a fair share of miles in my truck. My expected route is shown below. The red line is Saturday and the blue line will be Sunday. I'll operate CW on the county lines (see schedule) and TRY to operate some SSB while travelling between counties. I'm hopeful the K3 will do better on SSB than the IC-706.
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I hope to work you in the Salmon Run.
An exercise in tracking down noise By Jim K7JGM
Jim recently had an email conversation with another club member (also a Jim) regarding hunting down a noise source. He thought this might be a useful thread to others. Jim, I talked with you about my noise issue at the Field Day event. I’ve reached a roadblock in figuring out where the noise is coming from. I know it’s not coming from my house since I killed the AC main circuit breaker and the noise is still there. I think I have a noisy light pole 2 houses south of me but I’m also not sure if some noise might also be coming from my neighbor to the immediate north of me. They installed some solar panels and it seemed like noise could also be coming from their controller boxes. I’m not sure what to do next. The noise wipes out all of my HF bands and I can see it on my “Fun Cube Dongle Pro” SDR dongle using SDR# program. Do you have any equipment or know of someone who does that can help me pin point where the noise is coming from so I can push to get it fixed? Any thought or help is much appreciated. Thanks and 73’s, Jim K Hi Jim One thing, tune your vehicle's AM radio as low as you can, then drive around and listen for noise levels to increase. If it is in front of a power pole take note of the pole number. Same if it is front of a house. If you find something give me a call.
A couple questions, what part of town are you in and who is your electrical service company? 73- Jim M Hey Jim Thanks for the ideas. We're on the south end of Beacon Hill in South Seattle. We're served by Seattle City Light. Here's the list of noisy power poles when tuned to 530 AM on the radio: Beacon Ave S. Northbound 1335780 8906 1335809 8608 1335810 8610 Beacon Ave S. Southbound 1335814 8609 1335813 8611 1335812 8613 38th Ave. S. 1335684 8801 1335784 8803 HUGE! 39th Ave. S. 1335688 1335690 9001 1335693 9007 Also when I was doing the drive around the neighborhood I saw a City Light vehicle near the noisy neighbor's house. Don't know what they were doing. With such a huge list what do you think can be done? Thanks and 73's, Jim K. Hi Jim K., I have a contact at PSE, not City Light (CL), however. That means you have to do your due diligence, and you have already started. Look on the ARRL website for the info on contacting the FCC to lodge a formal complaint. This starts by calling CL to find who you need to contact to remedy the noise issue and show them your records. This will be one of their field engineers south of Denny Way for your area. Once you think you have exhausted your patience you will need to find more patience, you most likely will hear nothing. I believe you will need to send at least three letters in a six week period to that person. Once you have received no correspondence, write a formal letter to the FCC and CC your contact at CL with your correspondence. Keep a written record of everything. Please verify you are doing as the FCC requires. One other item, were there Comcast boxes on those poles? If there are, do the same thing with Comcast. As bad as they are at almost everything, my experience is that they are very responsive to noise issues. They do not like the FCC breathing down their neck. I hope this helps. 73- Jim K7JGM
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Mike & Key Amateur Radio Club General Meeting 15 August 2015 President Gary Bryan called the meeting to order at 10:00. Pledge of Allegiance. Member and Guest Introductions. Moment of silence for Alan Hughes. Announcements: The Mike & Key ARC is affiliated with the ARRL, which members are encouraged to join. Everyone, including visitors, should sign the rosters. Visitors are reminded not to vote on membership matters. Officer Reports: President - Gary KG7KU: No report. Secretary - Jim WQ7H: No Report. Treasurer - David KB7PSN: The books are in order. Thanks to Carolyn Pasquier for filling in last month. Activity Manager - Robin Carter WA7BRI: We are raffling the Icom IC-735 today. Thanks to Toku Okumura for getting the radio ready. Thanks to Dale Tongue AC7NP for donating the radio. Chairman of the Board - Monica KF7QLX: No report. Radio Officer - Hal N7NW: No Report Acting Vice President – Gary Bryan: A quorum was present. Chris AE7XQ motioned to accept the minutes as published in the Relay. The motion was seconded by Peter K4PNG. The motion passed. New Members: Please welcome Tom Helm KG7UME. Editor Reports: Relay Editor – Mike N7WA: No report. Webmaster - Jim KD7BAT: No report. Committee Reports: Membership – Rita KD7CNU: The committee is on summer hiatus until September. Facilities and Publicity Peter: No Report. Public Service -Tim Kane: No Report
Technical and Special Interest - David Yarbrough WA7DY: No Report Exams - Scott AG7T: Last month 11 people came for testing. 6 technician, 1 general, and 4 extra class tests were passed. Flea Market - Hal N7NW: No Report. Field Day - Ivy WA7IVY: Report is in the Relay. Logo Committee - Jim N7MU: No Report. Education and training: Jim Monson received an email from Daniel. Year to date totals are 127 Technician, 37 General, and 20 Amateur Extra class licensees. Old Business: From Tim Kane, the club is looking for a permanent location for the tower and equipment trailers. New Business: None. Alligator Award: Dean N7XS holds the plush pet. Good of the order: Peter K4PNG has a back pack, red and black, with a can of Fresca in the lost and found. The next Mike & Key Board meeting will be on the first Tuesday of the month, September 1st at 7:15 pm, at the Salvation Army in Renton. The next Mike & Key General Membership meeting is on the third Saturday of the month, September 19th at 10:00am at The Salvation Army in Renton. Dave KB7PSN made a motion to close the meeting and was seconded by Monica KF7QLX. The motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 10:41 hours. Guests 7 Members 39 ARRL Members 30 Total:46 Attested: James Wraalstad WQ7H, Secretary Post script: Michelle WB7AYU won the IC-735. Congratulations.
Note: No minutes for the September Board meeting were available. If received following publication, they will be posted as an electronic addendum on the Club web site.
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Eastern Washington Wildfires
It would be difficult not to have noticed the news coverage about wildfires in the Eastern part of Washington State this summer. Some of you may have even volunteered to help out. Sometimes we forget that there are radios on some of those hills. As Gary KG7KU mentioned in his article, the Lake Chelan ARC was hit particularly bad on Slide Ridge. Club member Ken Rau K7YR states that the 6 meter antenna appeared to be the only surviving piece of equipment. The following pictures are provided by Ken.
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Pacific Northwest Hamfairs& Events Source: PNW Hamfair webpage at http://www.n7cfo.com/hamradio/hf/hf.htm. (Used with Permission)
Link: The Pacific Northwest Hamfair and Events Calendar
Also: Western Washington Amateur Radio Licensing Classes, Training Classes and Examination Sessions
September 19. Magic Valley Amateur Radio Club Tailgate Swap Meet Twin Falls Idaho. http://www.k7mva.org/
September 26. Washington State Convention (Spokane Hamfest) Spokane Valley, WA. http://www.kbara.org/
October 10. Kitsap County Hamfest Silverdale, WA. http://www.kcarc.org/
October 10-11. Pacific Northwest VHF Society Conference Issaquah, WA.
http://www.pnwvhfs.org/conference/2015/announcement.html
October 4. Comfest Delta, BC. http://rac.eton.ca/events/detail.php?event_ID=1703
October 10. Kitsap County Hamfest Silverdale, WA. http://www.kcarc.org/
October 10-11. Pacific Northwest VHF Society Conference Issaquah, WA.
http://www.pnwvhfs.org/conference/2015/announcement.html
October 24. Swap-Tober-Fest Mid-Valley ARES. Polk County Fairgrounds, Rickreall, OR. www.swaptoberfest.net
Up Coming Classes By Daniel Stevens KL7WM
It has been a good year for licensing and upgrading classes. There is an Extra Class on three Saturdays on October 3, 17 and 24, 2015, with the test at the 3 PM on October 24, 2015. Several Technicians signed up for the Extra class in March, and passed. There is never a better time to upgrade. This class has several instructors and will cover all the Extra questions. There are two Technician Class scheduled: a weekend class on October 31 and November 1, 2015 in Federal Way and a two Saturday class on November 14 and 21, 2015 in Ballard. These classes will explains all the questions and have lots of show and handle items. 4 or 5 instructors will answer question through the class. The test is part of the class and will be at 3 PM on the last day. There is also a General Class on November 14 and 21, 2015 in Ballard. This is a separate classroom from the Technician. It will cover all the General questions and has many show and feel items. too. All these classes are FREE, but the license test cost $15. There is a 90% plus pass rate. So far this year there are 182 new hams, 29 Generals and 29 Extras. 4 passed all three tests at one test session. Sign up to upgrade or get you friend into amateur radio. Register for a class by sending an email with the class you want to attend to Daniel Stevens at [email protected]
Cycle 25
The fear for Solar Cycle 25 is that it would be worse than Cycle 24. Now, a couple researchers have issued a prediction that Cycle 25 may mimic Cycle 24. Of course, this is just one (very early) prediction. Still... hope springs eternal (and Cycle 24 was nothing to write home about).
You can read the report yourself at
http://aasnova.org/2015/09/02/witnessing-solar-rejuvenation/
Paper Certificates
The Mike & Key is not the only organization trying to save money by elimination of paper printing. The CQWW Contest Committee is soliciting comments on an idea of providing PDF certificates on line. The owner could then print out his/her own certificate if desired. They could even use really fancy paper.
It’s been suggested that they may still send out certificates for the top winner of each class.
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Calendar SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
13 (September)
14 15 16 17 18 19 10:00–M&K Club Mtg
12:30- M&K Ham Radio Exams
Contact: Scott—[email protected] [Salvation Army- Renton]
Salmon Run
20
21 22 23
24 25
26
CQWW RTTY Autumn Leaf Festival, Leavenworth
Gene N7QLT
27
CQWW RTTY
28 29 30 01 (October)
02 03 Salmon Days, Issaquah
Gene N7QLT
04
05 06 M&K Board Meeting
7:15PM [Salvation Army- Renton]
07
08 09 Relay articles due
10
11
12 13 14 15 16
1710:00–M&K Club Mtg
12:30- M&K Ham Radio Exams
Contact: Scott—[email protected] [Salvation Army- Renton]
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 CQWW SSB
25 CQWW SSB 26 27 28 29 30 31 Happy Halloween
Contact: Gene N7QLT, [email protected] Contact: Fran N7FWZ 425-226-4115 Contact: Dan KC7UVK 425-776-3722