epara beacon epara beacon newsletter 2020 newsletter.pdfsunday nets. at the last meeting we added...

EPARA Beacon

Vol. 4, Number 2 The Official Newsletter of The Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Association February 2020

Welcome to the EPARA Beacon! This newsletter is published monthly and is the offi cial newsletter of the Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Association. EPARA has served the amateur radio community in the Pocono Mountains for over 25 years. We have been an

ARRL affi liated club since 1995. We off er opportunities for learning and the advancement of skills in the radio art for hams and non-hams alike. EPARA supports Monroe County ARES/RACES in their mission of providing emergency communications for served agencies in Monroe County. Feel free to join us at one of our meetings or operating events during the year. The club meets on the second Thursday of every month, at the Monroe County 911 Emergency Control Center. The business meeting starts at 7:30 P.M. Anyone interested is invited to participate in our meetings and activities.

Next Club Meeting: February 13th 2020Monroe County Public Safety Center, 100 Gypsum Rd Stroudsburg, PA 18360

Newsletter

EPARA Nets:Monroe county ARES/RACES – Sunday’s 8:30 PM, 147.045 MHz, PL 131.8 HzSPARK Information/Swap Net – Tuesday’s 8:30 PM, 147.045 MHz, PL 131.8 Hz

EPARA Tech net – Friday’s 8:30 PM, 147.045 MHz, PL 131.8 Hz

Vol. 4, Number 2 The Official Newsletter of The Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Association February 2020

EPARA BEACON

Winter Field Day is here! January 25/26th 2020

our 24rd year!

February 2020 East Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Association

EPARA Officers

PresidentChris Saunders AJ3C

Vice PresidentBill Carpenter AB3ME

SecretaryNaomi Lopes KC3GVO

TreasurerScott Phelan KC3IAO

Memeber at LargeDonald Darcy Jr WK2RP

*********************************

ARES EC Kevin McCauley KB3EJM

Assistant ECChris Saunders AJ3C

Field Day CoordinatorChris Saunders AJ3

QuartermasterRon Salamanca N3GGT

Membership CoordinatorAl Brizzi KB3OVB

Newsletter EditorEric Weis N3SWR

PhotographerEric Weis N3SWR

Public InformationDonald Darcy Jr WK2RP

Social MediaChris Saunders AJ3C

Eric Weis N3SWR

Special Event CoordinatorTBD

Technical Program CoordinatorBill Carpenter AB3ME

Lead VEDonald Darcy Jr WK2rp

WebmasterChris Saunders AJ3C

• Offi cers and Committees - 2• From the President - 3• Announcements & Upcoming Events – 4• Secretary's Reort - 5• EPARA MOMENTS - 7• Club Calendar - 8• Winter Field Day - 9• Knowledge Test - 14• VE Testing /Ham License Classes - 15• NTS/ARES/RACES Report - 16• Solar Cycle 25 is Slowly Coming to Life - 17• Elmer’s Notebook – 18• Contest Corral - 19• Special Event Stations - 20• From the Editor - 21• Diplexer for the Satellite User - 22• From The Workbench - 24• EPARA SatComm - 25• Heathkit IT-28 restoration - 26• Clarostat Decade Box - What's Inside? - 27• EPARA SatComm - 28• ARISS next generation radio system - 31• Tube of the Month - 33• Antenna Archives #19 - 34• Tech Corner - 35• Winter Field Day after Action Report - 38


After a very wet Winter Field Day I'm glad to tell you all that my boots and hat have finally dried out. Stringing up antennas in a down

pour was actually kind of fun for me, but then again, I'm a weird kinda guy. We had several members make their first ever HF contact and that's one of the main reasons why we do these events. We increased our QSO count from last year by quite a margin! The radio room equipment and the OCF dipole worked flawlessly! With the exception of me spelling Sierra wrong on the exchange cheat sheets everything went smoothly. I know I'm going to take some lumps on that one but truth be told I can't spell, I never could and I never will. We did cause some interference briefly with the 911 center, but quickly resolved the issue. We had members at the 911 center well into the wee hours of the morning and I ran the digital station overnight till the morning crews showed up. I want to thank all who participated and thank all who brought food (Lasagna at 3am hit the spot!)

The Ham-fest planning continues, we need to find an alternate location as the Stroudsburg School District has declined our request to use the Chipperfield School to hold the event. We will continue to plan and I have no doubt we will find a suitable location quite soon. Our Amateur Extra Class is going well and the students are learning quite a lot. The ARES/RACES group is getting organized and are going to be practicing traffic handling on the Sunday nets. At the last meeting we added six new members so I want to welcome, Walter W3FNZ, Bill W3MJ, Malcolm KO3Q, Len KC3OND, Henry WA2WAG, and John KC3OSK to the ranks. Some are returning members from many years ago and some are brand new hams, I thank you for joining and welcome you all to the club.

Well its that time again, officer and board member nominations will start at the next meeting. The elections will take place in March. I can't believe it’s already been two years! To all those who have served as officers on the board I want to commend you on a job well done, with your assistance we have turned this club around! I'm sure all the members agree.

Well that's it for this month, hope to see you at the meeting on February 13th.Chris AJ3C

Postal Address: Web Site: Send dues to: Newsletter submissions to:

EPARA https://www.qsl.net/n3is/ EPARA Eric Weis, Editor

PO Box 521 Email: PO Box 521 [email protected]

Sciota, PA 18354 [email protected] Sciota, PA 18354

President Chris Saunders AJ3C [email protected] Vice President Bill Carpenter AB3ME [email protected]

Secretary Naomi Lopes KC3GVO Treasurer Scott Phelan KC3IAO

Member at Large Donald Darcy WK2RP ARES EC Kevin McCauley KB3EJM

Contact Information

From The President


Winter Field Day!January 25th and 26th are the days and we will trying the new OCF dipole installation as well as some new upgrades to the radio room. And yes - you might just fi nd some beer brats again ;) Hamfest! The EPARA Hamfest is returning!! Date is September 13th 2020, rain or shine. The committee has been formed and planning is forging ahead. We need volunteers to to help make this an that will return year after year.

Congratulations!Congratulations to John Lindsey who is now KC3OSK for passing his Technician and General class exam in one sitting!! John has also joined EPARA and is considering joining the SatComm group as well.

VE Sessions have returned!Be sure to contact Donald WK2RP should you wish to take your Technician, General and/or Extra test. We will make the eff ort to help you earn your ticket!! VE sessions are held prior to the monthly club meeting at 6pm at the Monroe County 911 Center.

EPARA Club DuesJust a friendly reminder for all members that dues are due just one months from now.

Extra ClassesExtra classes have begun and we are having a good turnout. Best of luck to all!!

Rule #1 of Amateur Radio, it is a hobby, unless you fi gured out a way to fashion a living out of it.Rule #2 of Amateur Radio, life is not a hobby and typically carries heavy responsibilities of everything that is not a hobby. Rule #3 of Amateur Radio, never give up a LIFE event for a Ham event. You may make some great memories at the Ham event, but the guilt you may carry missing a LIFE event can be a terribly heavy millstone.Rule #4 of Amateur Radio, as technology moves forward, so does Ham Radio - do what makes you happiest, experiment with other elements of Ham Radio as LIFE allows.Rule #5 of Amateur Radio, it is only Ham Radio, when confused always refer to Rule #1 through #4.


Secretary's ReportEPARA General Membership Meeting Agenda

From January 9th 2020General Membership Meeting 7:30Pm


February 2020 Monthly Meeting

Bill AB3ME provided the club with a well thought out presentation for soldering techniques as applied to the Pl-259 connector and coax assemblies. While soldering can seem to be simple on the surface, it can

also be the gremlin that lays beneath many electrical problems. Points to be taken away from the presentation are cleanliness of the soldering environment at hand, proper heating of the components, use of fl ux for oxide removal and proper wetting of the joint, use of fi xtures for clamping during soldering and more. Examples of cold and pitted solder joints were given and compared to what a quality solder joint should look like.

One of the issues that present itself to everyone that is considering soldering is the cost of materials and equipment. The prudent buyer can indeed collect over time quality equipment at reduced costs. The trick is to learn how to use them and that comes only with practice. You can read all you want - which is good, however nothing compares to time spent on the bench and learning. Thanks for a great presentation Bill!


Soldering Skills with Bill AB3ME

EPARA 2020 Calender Note: ALL VE sessions will now be taking place one (1) hour prior to the club meeting

starting at 6pm the second Thursday of every month



Anyone looking to take an exam is encouraged to contact Donald WK2RP to preregister at least one (1) week in advance of the test

date. If you have any questions or to register, Donald can be reached via email [email protected] and/or phone 914-424-6924. New this year, all VE sessions will be held prior to the EPARA meetings at 6pm. All members are asked to not disrupt the testing prior to the meeting if they arrive early.

Welcome to 2020! The EPARA Extra class is being offered beginning January 8th.

Anyone interested in taking the Extra class needs to contact Donald WK2RP at [email protected] or call 914-424-6924, by December 31, 2019. The Extra class is going to use a different format than the other classes. Happy New Year to all!

Amateur Extra Classes !!

ARES/RACES meetings shall begin again in 2020. The meetings will be held on the fourth Friday of each month at 7PM at the 911 training center, the next meeting is on January 24th.. These meetings will serve as training sessions covering several aspects of amateur radio emergency communications. We will start with traffi c handling and the use of Radiograms and the ICS 213 general message form. Future sessions will cover the use of several ICS forms and the setup and use of digital communication modes including Winlink, Packet Radio, APRS, and the FLDIGI software program. Meeting are open to all, you do not need to be an ARES/RACES team member to attend.

Don't forget to sign up with with ARES Connect if you haven't done so already and if you plan to attend the meeting or check-in to the weekly net remember to register you attendance on the ares connect page. To sign please use this link: https://arrl.volunteerhub.com/lp/epa

The EC-001 revised course has been available for several months now. Members can register for the course via this link http://www.arrl.org/online-course-catalog There is two di?erent versions of the course. The guided or mentored version (EC-001) and the self-paced for experienced emergency communicators (EC-001-S).

In reference to the EC-001 training, If you would prefer a traditional classroom course please contact Donald WK2RP.


National Traffic System

I'd like to wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Things may have seemed to quiet down for the holidays, rest assured there are always things happening in the background.

I look forward to the New Year and the challenges ahead. Keep warm and safe!! Don WK2RP 73

Nov. 1, 2019: Breaking a string of 28 spotless days, a new sunspot (AR2750) is emerging in the sun’s southern hemisphere–and it’s a member of the next solar cycle. A picture of the sunspot is inset in this magnetic map of the sun’s surface from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory:How do we know AR2750 belongs to the next solar cycle? Its magnetic polarity tells us so. Southern sunspots from old Solar Cycle 24 have a -/+ polarity. � is sunspot is the opposite: +/-. According to Hale’s Law, sunspots switch polarities from one solar cycle to the next. AR2750 is therefore a member of Solar Cycle 25.Shortlived sunspots belonging to Solar Cycle 25 have already been reported on Dec. 20, 2016; April 8, 2018; Nov. 17, 2018; May 28, 2019; July 1, 2019; and July 8, 2019. � e one on July 8, 2019, was signi� cant because it lasted long enough to receive a number: AR2744. Record-keepers will likely mark it as the � rst o� cial sunspot of Solar Cycle 25. If so, AR2750 would be the second.

� e increasing frequency of new cycle sunspots does not mean Solar Minimum is � nished. On the contrary, low solar activity will probably continue for at least another year as Solar Cycle 24 decays and Solar Cycle 25 slowly sputters to life. If forecasters are correct, Solar Cycle 25 sunspots will eventually dominate the solar disk, bringing a new Solar Maximum as early as 2023. Credit: https://spaceweatherarchive.com/2019/11/02/solar-cycle-25-is-slowly-coming-to-life/

Solar Cycle 25 is Slowly Coming to Life


Hey with a title like that - I just HAD to include this article here. I simply LOVE crystal radios. I

had the Philmore Radio as a kid and I cherish those memories. It was my introduction to radio with a 100� long wire hanging out the window. It worked good too!

� e AM broadcast band doesn’t have a lot of mainstream programming on it across much of the United States today. � at’s a shame because a lot of kids got their � rst taste of radio and electronics by building simple crystal radios. [Eric Wrobbel] has a well-done page discussing some of the crystal radio kits and toys that have been around.

[Eric] should know, as he’s written two books on toy crystal radios. � e pictures range from a 1945-era “Easy Built Radio Kit” which looks like a piece of masonite with a coil, some Fahnestock clips, and a cat whisker, to a very slick looking Tinymite from 1949. Honestly, though, the one we really want is the X-50 Space Helmet Radio that comes in a box marked “For Young Moon Travelers.”

Continuing the space theme, there’s a picture of a radio built in a rocket by a Japanese company. Oddly enough, there was also a crystal radio made inside a pincushion that included a thimble and a tape measure. Presumably, you could listen to tunes while you mended a sock.

It makes us a little sad to think of the times we built crystal radios and strained to hear pop music, sports, or news. With all the options today, it hard to imagine a young person listening to a tinny earphone to some weak mono audio. On the other hand, there’s still something magic about building something simple that takes no power and can pull audio out of the air around us from relatively far away.

We wonder what counts as today’s crystal radio? Is a blinking LED on an Arduino? An IC-based FM radio receiver? A simple robot kit? Perhaps if we were making a crystal radio kit today, we’d pair it with a preassembled AM transmitter that could take a feed from a phone or other audio device. If you want to be super modern, why not 3D print the chassis?

Credit: https://hackaday.com/2020/01/28/eric-talks-crystal-radios/


[Eric] Talks Crystal Radios

01/01/2020 | NCDXA 5th Annual Worked All RST Special Event

Jan 1-Feb 28, 0000Z-2359Z, KL7RST, Anchorage, AK. North Country DX Association (K7ICE). 14.250 14.075 7.190 7.050. QSL. J. Reisenauer, 2573 Old Georgetown Rd. W., Kershaw, SC 29067. www.qrz.com/db/kl7rst 01/07/2020 | Florence Nightingale Bi-Centenary

Jan 7-Feb 3, 1000Z-0900Z, GB200FN, ROMSEY, UNITED KINGDOM. RSGB. 14.200 MHz 7.95 MHz. QSL. John Wakefi eld, Oakhurst, Lower Common Road, West Wellow, ROMSEY SO51 6BT, UNITED KINGDOM. Direct QSL to include postage. Full details on QRZ.com. www.qrz.com/db/gb200fn 02/01/2020 | Groundhog Day Special Event Station

Feb 1, 1400Z-2100Z, K3HWJ, Punxsutawney, PA. Punxsutawney Amateur Radio Club. 14.330 7.235. Certifi cate. Stephen Waltman KB3FPN, 37 Clark St, Brookville, PA 15825. punxyclub.com 02/01/2020 | JY1 Special Event Memorial Station 2020

Feb 1-Feb 29, 0000Z-2359Z, N9SES, Lake Station, IN. Arab QRZ Club. 3.25-3.50 7.025-7.050 10.103-10.110 14.252. QSL. Ayman Azar, 2861 Decatur St, Lake Station, IN 46405. www.n9ses.com/?page_id=18 02/01/2020 | Shuttle Columbia Special Event

Feb 1-Feb 2, 1500Z-2300Z, K5C, Nacogdoches, TX. Nacogdoches Amateur Radio Club. 14.260 14.174 7.220 7.174. QSL. Nacogdoches Amateur Radio Club, 167 County Rd. 2093, Nacogdoches, TX 75965. All contacts will be confi rmed via LoTW. QSL requests must include SASE. w5nac.com 02/08/2020 | Lee/Jackson

Feb 8, 1600Z-2300Z, N4SCV, Gainesville, FL. Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1424. 14.240 7.224. QSL. Madison Starke Perry Camp 1424, P.O. Box 998, Alachua, FL 32616. https://www.gatorscv.com/events 02/08/2020 | USS Midway Museum Ship Special Event; Mt Surabachi Flag Raising

Feb 8, 1700Z-2359Z, NI6IW, San Diego, CA. USS Midway (CV-41) Museum Ship. 14.320 7.250 PSK31 14.070 DSTAR REF001C. QSL. USS Midway Museum Ship COMEDTRA, 910 N Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. 02/12/2020 | 2020 Daytona 500

Feb 12-Feb 16, 0000Z-2359Z, N4DAB, Daytona Beach, FL. Daytona Beach CERT Amateur Radio Team. 14.255 14.076 7.255 7.076. Certifi cate & QSL. Steve Szabo, 536 Central Park Blvd, Port Orange, FL 32127-1136. n4dab.com

02/15/2020 | 15th Annual Eagle Expo

Feb 15, 1600Z-2100Z, W5BMC, Morgan City, LA. Bayouland EM Amateur Radio Society BEARS. 14.260 7.260. QSL. Jackie Price, 708 Front St, Morgan City, LA 70380. 02/15/2020 | 16th Annual "Freeze Your Keys" Winter Operating Event

Feb 15, 1400Z-2200Z, W0EBB, Leavenworth, KS. Kickapoo QRP Amateur Radio Club. 14.058 CW 14.325 SSB 7.035 CW 7.240 SSB. QSL. Gary Auchard, 34058 167th Street, Leavenworth, KS 66048. SASE required for return of a QSL card. [email protected] 02/15/2020 | George Washington's Birthday

Feb 15-Feb 16, 1500Z-1700Z, K4US, Alexandria, VA. Mt. Vernon Amateur Radio Club. 14.260 14.074 7.040. Certifi cate. MVARC, P.O. Box 7234, Alexandria, VA 22308. www.mvarc.org 02/15/2020 | Ice Station W0JH (Frozen Lake Portable)

Feb 15-Feb 17, 1600Z-2300Z, W0JH, Stillwater, MN. Stillwater (MN) Amateur Radio Association - SARA. 21.360 14.260 7.260 3.860. Certifi cate. Shel Mann, N0DRX, 1618 Pine St. West, [email protected], Stillwater, MN 55082. W0JH is operating portable from a frozen lake in Washington County, Minnesota (Grid Square EN34). In a meager attempt to drive away the remainder of Minnesota winter, the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA) will be generating as much RF as possible over the President's Day long weekend. The club's youth are planning to independently operate throughout the event. Certifi cates will ONLY be sent via email in PDF format. (Send requests with standard QSL confi rmation info to: [email protected]). There is no need to send a QSL card. Info: W0JH at www.QRZ.com & www.Radioham.org www.radioham.org 02/15/2020 | WHOA/SCOTA

Feb 15, 1400Z-2000Z, W1M, Russell, MA. Western Mass Council Scouting USA. 14.290 14.060 7.190 7.060. QSL. Tom Barker, 329 Faraway Road, Whitefi eld, NH 03598. Paper logging is used--there will be a delay in sending out qsl cards--sase required 02/17/2020 | SES H L Hunley Commemorative Station N4HLH

Feb 17, 1400Z-2100Z, N4HLH, Charleston, SC. Trident Amateur Radio Club. 14.262 USB 7.262 LSB 7.117 CW. QSL. Larry Gatton, PO Box 60732, Charleston, SC 29416. tridenthams.org/hunley.htm 02/21/2020 | George Washington's Birthday

Feb 21-Feb 23, 2359Z-2359Z, WS7G, Moses Lake, WA. Columbia Basin DX Club. 14.255


7.222 3.855. QSL. Brian Nielson, 11650 Road 1 SE, Moses Lake, WA 98837. cbn.homestead.com/WS7G.html 02/22/2020 | Titan Missile Museum

Feb 22, 1600Z-2100Z, K7T, Tucson, AZ. Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club. 7.040 CW 14.040 CW 14.250 USB 18.100 FT-8. Certifi cate. Email , [email protected], No paper QSL's please.. www.TucsonHamRadio.org

02/26/2020 | Snowbird Field Day

Feb 26, 1500Z-2100Z, W7ASL, Mesa, AZ. Sunlife ARC. 14.230 7.200. QSL. Tom Goforth, 4324 E Dragoon Cir, Mesa, AZ 85206. Please see the website for the most up to date information. https://www.sunli fearc.org/index.php/events/2-uncategorised/28-snowbird-field-day 02/29/2020 | "2019 Rare Disease Day" Special Event

Feb 29, 0000Z-2359Z, WA4CZD, Sparta, TN. WA4CZD. 14.246 7.246 7.115. QSL. Jill Dybka, WA4CZD, 7737 Sprata Hwy, Sparta, TN 38583. QSL to home call of WA4CZD including via BURO. Also using LoTW.

Well I have to admit that this month's newsletter is kicking my butt here. I thought it would be a rather mundane or routine month but I was wrong! Like writers, I had editors block for weeks. And now there's a pile of material to work with. Thanks to all that sent me photos! I was also able to score a new ultra wide angle lense for my camera so I'll be using that often. I’ve also managed to fi nally get the time to repair much of what was occupying real estate on my bench. That was long overdue. Now I can hopefully look into some other projects. Maybe that was clogging up my editor brain? Hmmm...

Winter Field Day has come and gone again and I hope everyone had a great time and enjoyed the food. I helped with a few contacts and enjoyed

the time. Prior to that, a weekend snow storm "forced" me to the work bench where I decided to restore and upgrade three instruments that were on the to-do list. A recapping of an older pc motherboard didn't go as planned so instead I removed all those caps i just bought and installed a handle. It fl ew rather well out the window after that! The Heathkit IT-28 that was bought a few years ago needed a good cleaning, checkout and calibration if it was ever to be allowed on my bench - that was a total success and fun afternoon project. An Agilent 3457A needed a new memory retention battery installed before it lost it's brain and that also went well. There's more but no point listing them here - read the newsletter ;)

What's planned for February? I have no clue. I think I'll just have to see where the mood sends me. Being able to actually see the top of the workbench is inviting and I may tinker on a few top secret projects for the future. Until then, 73! Eric N3SWR


Eric, N3SWR

With plans for working the satellites in the near future, it become apparent

that a diplexer was needed if you're planing to work from one radio. I copied the design in the previous article "Diplexer for the Satellite User". Originally I planned to use some older components I had. Only after my fi rst failed pcb layout and the discovery that the trimmer caps were indeed rare Collins radio parts did I decide to possibly revisit the board layout and style of trimmer caps in a future revision.

The fi nished project is as shown above but it started out a bit diff erent. There was an obvious interference of components which required a redesign to version 2. Even though you spend hours calculating things , sometimes its the littlest thing that gets you. New boards

were only $13 delivered from China so the pain was minor. The boards were designed using Cadsoft Eagle. The software package allows schematic capture and board layout all in one package. Once the board layout is complete, you run the included CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) processor which generates the needed

Gerber fi les. The world as we know it relies on Gerber fi les when it comes to printed circuit boards. These fi les hold the data that instructs the how the manufacturing process proceeds in making the boards. The Gerber format is an open 2D binary vector image fi le format. It is the standard fi le used by printed circuit board (PCB) industry software to describe the printed circuit board images: copper layers, solder mask, legend, etc. These fi les are sent to the board manufacture which they inspect and once they pass their quality audit, manufacturing can begin.


I used a company called PCB Way out of China. They are fast to make the boards but to save money I chose the cheaper means of postage and that will bring delivery time to about 3 weeks. That worked out fi ne considering the holidays were here. Once I got the new boards it was only one evening to transfer the components from the old board and to wind up some 18 gauge coil inductors. I used the specs from the previous article and converted from mm to inches and used an appropriate drill diameter for the winding mold. Nano-henry inductors are actually not that easy to measure and that was mentioned in last months newsletter. You'll need to make a test setup for that. Once the board

was populated with components and i was happy with the construction, I sett off to tune the circuit on a vector network analyzer. Shown here is the completed diplexer connected to the analyzer; port 1 of the analyzer connected to the "radio" side of the unit and port 2 connected to the UHF side.

The VHF side is terminated in 50 ohms. The VHF side is tuned for the middle of the band at 146MHz since it is rather narrow. Looking at the picture below, the top display (S11) is return loss which corresponds to an SWR of 1.093. Bottom trace (S21) is the frequency response (insertion loss in dB). It’s also happens to be showing the 3dB point for the fi lter. You can see high attenuation before and after the 2m band which is what we want. The next photo shows the UHF sweep. The high pass

fi lter is tuned for 420MHz- the beginning of the UHF band - right side marker #2 on the display. Return loss shows 19.79dB which is an SWR of 1.228. Front of the band digs a bit to far into the cutoff region (closer to the 2M band) then I would like, but after monkeying around for hours this is the best I could accomplish. I feel the fi lter could use a bit more inductance ( meaning making new coils). That may help bring the fi lter slope closer to the 420MHz mark I wanted. But honestly it may not matter and the high pass fi lter is really doing its job. The response after 420MHz is very fl at with only 1dB of loss. The only thing that remains to be done - connect it to two antennas and see for myself how this performs and I have a good feeling this will be a positive addition to the tools we need to access the satellites. 73 Eric N3SWR


VHF frequency sweep UHF frequency sweep

The Heathkit IT-28 heralds as one of the best capacitor checkers that ever came into the hands of technicians years ago. They can

still be had for a fair price and good condition too. I grabbed this one because it has the ability to deliver a whopping working voltage up to 600vdc which is useful for reforming caps and well, who doesn't love that magic eye!

First order of business was to clean off the dust layer which coated the entire chassis with compressed air and remove the tubes. Next it was over to the Hickok 539C tube tester to verify the tubes were up to par and they all checked out well above their specifi cations. The electrolytics were then swapped for new ones and I discovered the leakage/discharge switch contacts were tarnished. I treated that and all pots with a good dose of Cramolin (the original version of DeOxit). Things looked good!

I love working on old gear. You get to appreciate some quality workmanship from years past and basically how things were done back then. In my fi eld of "expertise" these days, I'm usually found working in a standards lab, where we repair and calibrate what ever walks through the door and make darn sure what we do is traceable to NIST - the National Institute of Standards and Technology. And that bring us to the next step here - calibration.

The procedure in the manual calls for verifying some simple voltages - that are also non-adjustable. Go fi gure! Beyond that there are three pots to adjust for leakage current. To set the specifi ed currents you need to "close the magic eye". Current is adjusted through a resistor decade box and monitored via a DMM. I used a Clarostat Power decade box and the HP3457A DMM. The decade box gave me some intermittent readings (things needed to be cleaned inside) so that was added to my to-do list. It never ends!

Heathkit IT-28 Restoration and Calibration


The lowest leakage spec is 2.0uA while adjusting the trim pot to just close the eye. I had to add another decade box for about 105MΩ of total resistance to get me where I wanted. And yes - I'm a stickler for accuracy if it can be had within reason. That is one small current but hey it made the spec and is only 9 NANOAMPS off (smile here).

This little cap checker was beyond accurate and rock solid. So it may now join its brothers and sisters on the workbench haha!

Clarostat makes some serious decade resistor boxes and I've come to appreciate their robustness and workmanship. This one here is good to 100 MegOhm

and some decent current carrying ability too. However it did give me some intermittent issues which needed to be addressed. So off came the covers to show you what they look like inside. What you see is simply an arrangement of accurate power resistors that are switched in or out of the circuit as you select the resistance you want. This beauty only needed a little Brayco weapons oil (oil used in missile components - not kidding here) on the rotary switches and Cramolin on the contacts. Pay attention - I'm giving away my secrets here! You won't fi nd this in the auto store but honestly any good low viscosity penetrating oil will do. One drop per rotary switch shaft and no more. Rotate the switches through their entire travel to help the oil and Cramolin work their magic. Oils and greases have a tendency to dry out and it's amazing how fast you can bring back the performance of an instrument with a little preventative maintenance. That's right - just like your car, change the oil on your electronics gear so you don't end up with more problems down the road. Trust me - from a guy that does this for a living ;) Eric N3SWR

Clarostat Power Decade Box - What's Inside?


The International Space Station has fi nished broadcasting the slow scan TV images and for those that managed to receive them, you can send one to their website and receive an award for participating! Rules

and information are furnished here: https://ariss.pzk.org.pl/sstv/

One interesting discovery while submitting my pictures for consideration to ARISS - somewhere I recalled reading that downloading a SSTV image from the space station can also qualify you for the coveted QSL card too. I couldn't fi nd where I read that so I decided to email Bruce W6WW, the ARISS-US QSL Manager. After explaining to him what I read, his reply was this:

Thanks for your interest and participation in the ARISS program. I don't know where the information you are looking for is on the internet, but the information is implied on an image of the QSL card at...https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.html

... where you can see that SWL and SSTV are both valid activities for a ISS QSL card request. SSTV is by defi nition one-way, and SWL covers things like overhearing a school contact, for instance. SSTV QSL cards are sent for participating in the event, not one card for each image.

"Contact" information would include the Date/Time/Frequency, etc., of any of your image receptions.Hoping to see your request via the USPS soon!73,Bruce W6WWARISS-US QSL Manager

So yes - send your best SSTV image to the address on this page and can add one cool QSL card on the wall!https://www.ariss.org/qsl-cards.htmlEricN3SWR

EPARA SatComm


These images were received via an adjustable J-Pole, about 40ft of new RG52 cable and an RTL-SDR radio dongle. The SDR was run on a simple Windows 10 PC with SDR Console running in

the background to tune 145.800MHz. To grab the images, I installed the latest version of MMSSTV software and though I struggled a bit to get the program working as I wanted, a Google search and

YouTube search helped me to setup MMSSTV to where I basically was able to walk away from the PC and come back the next day to fi nd the images stored and waiting for me. This is not hard to do and rather rewarding! Eric N3SWR


First Element of ARISS Next Generation Radio System Readied for Launch on SpaceX-20 - BTW SpaceX-20 is

scheduled to be launched March 1st 2020

During this Holiday Season, when the spirit of giving and receiving gifts reigns high, ARISS received a special gift and delivered a phenomenal gift to the international community. This occurred on Thursday December 19, 2019.

Our international gift to all—students, STEM education, the public and the amateur radio community—was the historic transfer of the fi rst Inter-operable Radio System (IORS) fl ight unit, serial number 1001, to NASA Johnson Space Center for launch on SpaceX-20. The special gift received by ARISS was the approval from NASA Safety to launch the IORS on SpaceX-20 and stow the radio system on the International Space Station.

December 19, 2019 was truly a banner day for ARISS! The IORS is a foundational element of the ARISS next generation radio system and is an incredible engineering achievement by the ARISS hardware team. This fi rst element delivery will support easier radio mode transitions and enable new, exciting capabilities for hams, students and the general public. The IORS will include a higher power radio, an enhanced voice repeater, updated digital packet radio (APRS) capabilities and slow scan television (SSTV) capabilities for both the US and Russian segments. The IORS consists of a special, modifi ed JVCKenwood D710GA transceiver, an AMSAT-developed multi voltage power supply and interconnecting cables.

This fi rst fl ight IORS will be installed in the ISS Columbus module. A second fl ight unit is expected to be launched sometime in 2020 for installation in the Russian Service module. A total of 4 fl ight units and 10 total units will be built by the ARISS hardware team to support on-board fl ight operations, training, operations planning and hardware testing. Future upgrades and enhancements to the next generation system are in various stages of design & development. These include a repaired Ham Video system (currently planned for launch in mid-to-late 2020), L-band (uplink) repeater, ground command operations capability, LimeSDR signal reception, a microwave “Ham Communicator” and Lunar Gateway prototype experiment.

While yesterday was truly an historic milestone, it should be noted that there is still much “heavy lifting” work to be done to prepare the IORS for Operations on ISS. ARISS has 92 engineering requirements and our


operations Phase III safety review to complete. The space agencies take a position of “Trust but Verify.” Thus, these engineering and safety “verifi cations” all need to be closed out before the IORS can be unstowed and turned on. This will be the ARISS hardware team’s focus over the next few months.

wwAlso, please remember that ARISS is almost entirely run by volunteers. So donations to the ARISS program for next generation hardware developments, operations, education and administrative functions are always welcome. Please go to https://www.ariss.org/donate.html if you want to contribute to our eff orts!In closing, ARISS would like to thank the outstanding contributions of the IORS hardware development team on an incredible radio system. ARISS would like to thank our sponsors and donors for helping us realize the IORS hardware systems. On behalf of the ARISS team, we would like to wish you all a joyful and prosperous Holiday Season—Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy New Year!!Ad astra! To the Stars!

73, Frank Bauer, KA3HDO

ARISS International ChairAMSAT V.P. for Human Spacefl ight Programs


� e picture above shows 6SC7GT tubes which are branded Western Electric on the box. But the tubes inside were manufactured by Tung-Sol. In this case WE didn't even bother to put their own label on the tubes themselves. Rebranding was common practice. In this case WE probably had a contract to deliver this tube type to the military. � ey bought the tubes in bulk from another manufacturer and put them in their own boxes.

� e 6SC7 is a dual triode with a common cathode. With it's ampli� cation factor of 70 it classi� es as a high mu triode. Plate resistance is 53kOhm. I use it with both halves in parallel, which yields half the plate resistance or 26.5kOhms. � is makes the tube very suitable for a phono input tube. Detailed information can be found in the datasheet.

� e tube comes in several versions, either with a metal enclosure, or in a glass tube. � e latter version is called 6SC7GT. It is also available with a 12.6V heater as 12SC7.

Unfortunately, the 6SC7 is quite rare and thus expensive. Fender used it in some of their guitar amps. As far as I know no 6SC7s are currently being manufactured. If you are looking for a high mu tube and want to use something else as the 6SL7 tube or if you look for an Octal based alternative to a 12AX7, the 6SC7 might be the choice for you. If you can't � nd any, check for the 12V heater cousin. � ey are just as well performing.

6SC7 Twin Triode



A $50 Beverageby Randall Thompson, K5ZDOriginally printed in the YCCC Scuttlebutt #119, October, 1995I built my fi rst Beverage this past year. It was so easy I can't believe I lived without one. Here's how to do it: Go to Home Depot (or other large hardware store) and buy a 500 ft roll #16 THHN or MTW wire. It's available in every color you can imagine for about $15 per 500/ft roll. Go to local feed store and get some electric fence insulators. This cost me about $3. Call your favorite radio dealer and order an ICE Beverage matching box. Cost: about $40. Go to Radio Shack and get a 400-600 ohm resistor. I actually used four (4) 2K-Ohm, 2-Watt resistors in parallel! Roll out the wire in the desired direction. Mount the fence insulators to convenient trees (my Beverage is not perfectly straight) about 7-9 feet up. Connect one end of the wire to ground through the resistor. Connect the other end to the matching box. Connect coax. Enjoy!

I did follow the conventional wisdom of sloping the ends down. I used 4 foot ground rods at each end. I only have room for a 500 foot run. W3LPL has pointed out that 580' might be a bet-ter length. It’s simple to solder some more wire on.

This antenna makes 80 and 160 enjoyable. Less than $50 to hear Europeans all summer on the LF bands seems like a good deal if you have the space!

When the antenna broke this summer, I used a split bolt connector to join the two pieces back together. You can fi nd these for about $1 in the electrical aisle of the Home Depot (or hardware store). No solder required!

February 2020 East Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Association Page 34

#19

Smith Chart Basics

The Smith chart has been used for many years, so much in fact that it was trademarked. There’s a good chance that many if not all that will read this have never used one, never intend to use one or simply are

mystifi ed at the sight of one. The intent here is to give the reader some history about the chart and to explain its function in a way that hopefully is a learning experience and not just adding to the confusion.

The Smith chart was developed by Philip Smith at Bell Telephone's Radio Research Lab during the 1930s. Phil's widow until recently operated Analog Instruments, the company that sold the offi cial Smith chart for many, many years. The trademark on the Smith Chart recently expired, and Ms. Smith sold the Copyright for the Smith Chart to the IEEE MTT Society in April 2015. Dr. Richard Snyder participated in the negotiations with Ms. Smith and her family. What this has done basically is it has placed the chart into our hands free of charge.

What's a Smith chart?

What is a Smith chart? It's really just a plot of complex refl ection overlaid with an impedance and/or admittance grid referenced to a 1-ohm characteristic impedance. That's it! You can fi nd books and articles describing how a Smith chart is a graphical representation of the transmission line equations and the mathematical reasons for the circles and arcs, but these things don't really matter when you need to get the job done. What matters is knowing the basics and how to use them, like always.

The Smith chart contains almost all possible impedances, real or imaginary, within one circle. All imaginary impedances from - infi nity to + infi nity are represented, but only positive real impedances appear on the "classic" Smith chart. Yes, it is possible to go outside the Smith chart "unity" circle, but only with an active device because this implies negative resistance.

One thing you give up when plotting refl ection coeffi cients on a Smith chart is a direct reading of a frequency axis. Typically, plots that are done over any frequency band have markers calling out specifi c frequencies.

Why use a Smith chart? It's got all those funny circles and arcs, and good ol' rectangular plots are much better for displaying things like VSWR, transmission loss, and phase, right? Perhaps sometimes a rectangular plot is better, but a Smith chart is the RF engineer's best friend! It's easy to master, and it adds an air of "analog coolness" to presentations, which will impress your friends, if not your dates! A master in the art of Smith-charting can look at a thoroughly messed up VSWR of a component or network, and synthesize two or three simple networks that will impedance-match the circuit in his head! With modern computers, the Smith Chart is no longer used to simplify the calculation of transmission line equations; however, their value in visualizing the impedance of an antenna or a transmission line has not decreased.


Impedance and admittance

A quick refresher on the basic quantities that have units of ohms or its reciprocal, Siemens (sometimes called by its former name, mhos), is helpful since many of them will be referenced below. We all think of resistance (R) as the most fundamental of these quantities, a measure of the opposition to current fl ow that causes a potential drop, or voltage, according to Ohms Law: V=I*R. By extension, impedance (Z) is the steady state AC term for the combined eff ect of both resistance and reactance (X), where Z=R+jX. (X=ωL for an inductor, and X=1/ωC for a capacitor, where ω is the radian frequency or 2*pi*f.) Generally, Z is a complex quantity having a real part (resistance) and an imaginary part (reactance).

We often think in terms of impedance and its constituent quantities of resistance and reactance. These three terms represent "opposition" quantities and are a natural fi t for series-connected circuits where impedances add together. However, many circuits have elements connected in parallel or "shunt" that are a natural fi t for the "acceptance" quantity of admittance (Y) and its constituent quantities of conductance (G) and susceptance (B), where Y=G+jB. (B=ωC for a capacitor, and B=1/ωL for an inductor.) Admittances add together for shunt-connected circuits. Remember that Y=1/Z=1/(R+jX), so that G=1/R only if X=0, and B=-1/X only if R=0.

When working with a series-connected circuit or inserting elements in series with an existing circuit or transmission line, the resistance and reactance components are easily manipulated on the "impedance" Smith chart. Similarly, when working with a parallel-connected circuit or inserting elements in parallel with an existing circuit or transmission line, the conductance and susceptance components are easily manipulated on the "admittance" Smith chart. The "immittance" Smith chart simply has both the impedance and admittance grids on the same chart, which is useful for cascading series-connected with parallel-connected circuits.

Which way is up and where's that short circuit?

T he most common orientation of the Smith chart places the resistance axis horizontally with the short circuit (SC) location at the far left. There's a good reason for this: the voltage of the refl ected wave at a short circuit must cancel the voltage of the incident wave so that zero potential exists across the short circuit. In other words, the voltage refl ection coeffi cient must be -1 or a magnitude of 1 at an angle of 180 degrees. Since angles are measured from the positive real axis and the real axis is horizontal, the short circuit location and horizontal orientation make sense. ("Voltage" is underlined above because the current refl ection coeffi cient of a short circuit being +1 would place the short circuit location at the right end, but let's not go there.)

For an open circuit (OC), the refl ected voltage is equal to and in phase with the incident voltage


(refl ection coeffi cient of +1) so that the open circuit location is on the right. In general, the refl ection coeffi cient has a magnitude other than unity and is complex. For reasons we won't bore you with here, anywhere above the real axis is inductive (L) and anywhere below is capacitive (C).

"Yes sir!" and please don't fl ip me!

Can't remember which way to rotate the locus when moving along the transmission line? Well, it's clockwise toward the generator because generals make you go like clockwork. Also keep in mind that moving "x" degrees along the line moves a point on the locus "2x" degrees on the chart because the refl ected wave must transverse the round-trip distance moved (remember, it's the refl ection coeffi cient). Alternately, you could remember that the impedance repeats itself every half wavelength along a uniform transmission line, so you must move one time around the chart to wind up at the same impedance. Of course, a physical line length has variable electrical length over a frequency band, so a fi xed impedance will spread out to a locus when viewed through a connected transmission line. This is why it is always easier to obtain a wide-band match when you're close to the device or discontinuity.

Many older RF engineers advocate refl ecting through the origin to "convert" from impedance to admittance and vice versa. That's why you see the same axis labeled "INDUCTIVE REACTANCE OR CAPACITIVE SUSCEPTANCE" on the original Smith chart, for example. This can be confusing, you've got to do the fl ip, you need to remember what the grid currently represents, and SC, OC, L & C are moving targets! Why not just keep the refl ection coeffi cient where it belongs and use the appropriate grid? We have computers, color printers, and immittance charts these days. (If you still like to do things manually and either can't deal with all those lines on an immittance chart or are color blind, use a transparency overlay and a blank piece of paper.)


Winter Field DayJanuary 25th and 26th 2020

Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Associationand Monroe County ARES/RACES

After-Action ReportJanuary 28, 2020

After-Action ReportWinter Field Day(AAR) 2020

1.EXERCISE OVERVIEW

Exercise Name EPARA / MCARES Winter Field Day 2020

Exercise Dates January 25th at 2PM to January 26that 2PM, 2020

ScopeThis exercise is an Amateur Radio emergency communications drill, planned for January 25and 26 2020 at the Monroe County Public Safety Center 100 Gypsum Road, Stroudsburg, Pa18360.

Mission Area(s) Amateur Radio Emergency Communications

Core Capabilities Radio communications on HF, VHF, and UHF radio frequencies using voice, digital andCW modes

ObjectivesTo work as many stations as possible on any and all amateur bands (excluding the 60, 30,17, and 12-meter bands) and to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimalconditions.

Sponsor Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Association, Monroe County ARES/RACES, and The Monroe County Office of Emergency Management.

ParticipatingOrganizations

Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Association and Monroe County ARES/RACES.

Exercise Overview 2

Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Association and Monroe County ARES/RACESWinter Field Day

2. ANALYSIS OF CORE CAPABILITIES

Exercise Objectives and Capabilities:

Table 1 includes the exercise objectives, aligned core capabilities, and performance ratings foreach core capability as observed during the exercise and determined by the evaluation team.

Objective Core Capability

Performedwithout

Challenges(P)

Performedwith SomeChallenges

(S)

Performedwith MajorChallenges

(M)

Unable tobe

Performed(U)

Regional VoiceCommunication

HF SSB VoiceCommunications X

Regional DigitalCommunication

HF, RTTY and PSK X

Regional CWCommunication

HF CW X

Local VoiceCommunication

VHF/UHF FMSimplex & Repeater

XRatings Definitions:� Performed without Challenges (P): The targets and critical tasks associated with the core capability were

completed in a manner that achieved the objective(s) and did not negatively impact the performance of otheractivities. Performance of this activity did not contribute to additional health and/or safety risks for the public orfor emergency workers, and it was conducted in accordance with applicable plans, policies, procedures,regulations, and laws.

� Performed with Some Challenges (S): The targets and critical tasks associated with the core capability werecompleted in a manner that achieved the objective(s) and did not negatively impact the performance of otheractivities. Performance of this activity did not contribute to additional health and/or safety risks for the public orfor emergency workers, and it was conducted in accordance with applicable plans, policies, procedures,regulations, and laws. However, opportunities to enhance effectiveness and/or efficiency were identified.

� Performed with Major Challenges (M): The targets and critical tasks associated with the core capability werecompleted in a manner that achieved the objective(s), but some or all of the following were observed:demonstrated performance had a negative impact on the performance of other activities; contributed toadditional health and/or safety risks for the public or for emergency workers; and/or was not conducted inaccordance with applicable plans, policies, procedures, regulations, and laws.

� Unable to be Performed (U): The targets and critical tasks associated with the core capability were notperformed in a manner that achieved the objective(s).

Table 1. Summary of Core Capability Performance

The following sections provide an overview of the performance related to each exerciseobjective and associated core capability, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement.

Analysis of Core Capabilities 3


Regional Voice Communication

The strengths and areas for improvement for each core capability aligned to this objective aredescribed in this section.

HF SSB Voice Communications

Strengths

The partial capability level can be attributed to the following strengths:

Strength 1: All operators quickly became comfortable with operation of the HF radioequipment

Strength 2: All operators where able to make contacts using proper phonetics and establishedamateur radio communication protocols. We made 108 Voice contacts

Strength 3: HF radio gear and antenna systems in the Radio Room worked properly andmet or exceeded expectations.

Areas for Improvement

The following areas require improvement to achieve the full capability level:

Area for Improvement 1: Transmissions on 20 meters from the temporary station inClassroom 2 caused minor interference with the Office of Emergency Management’sVHF/UHF radio equipment.

Area for Improvement 2: Transmissions on 40 meters from the temporary station inClassroom 2 caused interference with the Office of Emergency Management’s telephoneequipment.

Analysis: The HF antenna for the temporary station in Classroom 2 was a half-wave end fedantenna 130 feet long. This antennas primary frequency range is the 80 meter band and it isdesigned to operate on 20 and 40 meters as well, however it produces RF harmonics when usedat these higher frequencies. It is strongly suspected the RF harmonics where the cause ofinterference, when we switched to a different antenna that is resonant for 20 and 40 meters(MFJ Big Ear) the interference issues stopped.

Conclusion - future use of multi-band antennas that are not resonant on the fundamentalfrequencies being transmitted must be avoided.



Regional Digital Communication


HF, RTTY and PSK

Strengths


Strength 1: Equipment in the Radio Room for digital communications is functional, portable HFequipment for digital communications is available and functional.

Strength 2: 70 contacts where made from the Radio Room and the temporary station inClassroom 2 at reduced RF power



Area for Improvement 1: Few operators where familiar with digital communication hardwareand software setup.

Area for Improvement 2: Few operators where familiar with digital communication operation.

Analysis: Several amateur radio operators that are comfortable with digital modes on HF wherenot able to attend the event. Training and practice on HF digital setup and operation must beprovided to EPARA and MCARES members



Regional CW Communication


HF, CW

Strengths


Strength 1: CW equipment is available and functional.

Strength 2: CW operations worked smoothly, we made 52 CW contacts during the event



Area for Improvement 1: Very few operators are capable of CW, only one was available tomake any contacts

Analysis: EPARA and MCARES needs more members to become capable of CW operations.



Local Voice Communication


VHF/UHF FM Simplex and Repeater

Strengths

The Full capability level can be attributed to the following strengths:

Strength 1: All attendees had the local repeaters programmed in their equipment.

Strength 2: All attendees could work simplex on the Field Day site.

Strength 3: All attendees used proper FM operating procedures on both simplex and repeatercommunications


None

Area for Improvement 1:

Analysis: Full capability level was achieved.



epara beacon epara beacon newsletter 2020 newsletter.pdfsunday nets. at the last meeting we added...

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