volume no. 42 issue no. 1 october 2010 · volume no. 42 issue no. 1 october 2010 the official...

It often starts with a deep breath that you take just before you press the push-to-talk but-ton on the microphone. For Al-bert, KJ4BYF it started one after-noon when he said, ―VE3DOY, this is KJ4BYF, net control for ECARS.‖ This first contact took place in January of 2010 and be-came much more. Many other short QSOs took place as Doy, VE3DOY, con-tinued checking into ECARS with Albert and other NCOs. Both Albert and Doy shared many other conversations via email, regular mail, and, of course, Ham radio. Albert says that ―...as a net con-trol operator, he has been able to meet so many nice people…‖ For him ECARS and amateur ra-dio have been a vehicle for pro-moting friendship and good will. The QSOs between Doy and Al-bert demonstrates that the ECARS bond can be very strong.

On a Sunday in late April Doy, VE3DOY, and his XYL Lois-anna, VA3NLR who were on their way back to Caledonia, Ontario Canada from Florida when they took a side trip through North Carolina to visit Albert, KJ4BYF and his XYL Sharon, KJ4CQP.

Not only did they want to visit, tour the shack, and talk radio but they also wanted to deepen the friendship and good will which began with a simple check into ECARS that afternoon in January. May we all be so lucky! You can catch Albert, KJ4BYF, on 7.255 MHz almost every weekday afternoon. Stop by the ECARS net and say hello.

ECARS: Friendship and Good Will By V. J. Motto, K1AH

Inside this issue:

ECARS: Friendship and 1

Nomination 1

Emergency LED Lights 2

Meet the NCS Operator 3

From the Editor 4

Show Us Your Shack 4

Advertisements 7

Contact Info 9

Publication Info 9

Volume No. 42 Issue No. 1 October 2010 www.ecars7255.com

The official publication of the East Coast Amateur Radio Service, Inc.

Nominations Being Accepted

The Nominating Committee will be accepting nominations from

the membership for the offices of President, Vice-President, Secre-

tary-Treasurer, and three (3)

directors. The nomination period is from October 15, 2010 till mid-

night November 25, 2010.

The Nomination Committee con-sists of

Chair, Bob, N3ZUA

Bob, W4WZR Winnie, N3ZXR

You should get the person’s per-

mission before nominating them. Nominations can be sent to any

committee member during the

nomination period just click on their call sign.

Left to right: Loisanne-VA3NLR, Sharon-KJ4CQP, Doy-VE3DOY, Albert-KJ4BYF.

http://www.ecars7255.com/

mailto:[email protected]



During a power failure it is important to have a reliable source of light for our shacks. When used in small ar-eas, LEDs can provide more than ade-quate lighting with minimal current requirements. Recently, LED flash-lights have come down considerably in price from about $20.00 several years to go to $2.00 or $3.00 in flea markets and dollar stores. Many of these flashlights operate on three AAA bat-teries.

However, hav-ing to deal with batteries during power outages can be cumbersome and something else to periodi-cally check. To solve the battery prob-lem, I modified a nine LED flashlight into

an emergency work light that can be powered by either a 12-volt power supply or directly from an automotive electrical system. First I removed the head of the flash-light by unscrewing the end from the barrel. Then I drilled two 1/8-inch di-ameter holes through the side of the

head just above the printed circuit board. Using a 6-32 tap I cut threads into one of the holes for a screw that secures the ground wire to the light. I used the other hole to feed the posi-tive wire into the head and then sol-dered the end of the wire to the posi-tive side of the circuit board. I inserted a 680-ohm resistor in the positive wire and covered the resistor with shrink tubing. After checking to be sure the light worked, I dripped hot glue into the backside of the flashlight head to cover the circuit board and seal the hole where the positive wire enters.

Emergency LED Lighting...Cheap By Mike Stone, N1VE

“...it’s

important

to have a

reliable

source of

light for our

shacks.”

ECARS —- 7255 KHz —- for Public Health, Safety, and Welfare October 2010


Related ECARS Links

NCS Schedule — http://www.ecars7255.com/ncs.htm

Operations Manual—http://www.ecars7255.com/ops.htm

http://www.ecars7255.com/ncs.htm

http://www.ecars7255.com/ops.htm


We all know where to find Harold D. Kimbel, KD8QH. He is regular Net Con-trol Operator on ECARS. His signal from Canton, Ohio has been one of the best especially during this trying summer of poor band conditions. He is 71 years old, born and raised in his beloved Can-ton, Ohio. After graduation from High School in 1957 he entered the USAF and started his career in communications and elec-tronics. Harold obtained his FCC First Class ticket during that time. In 1961 he was discharged from the Air Force, took a job with GE mobile radio division at the White Sands Missile Range, and married his wife Norma. Harold says that ―1961 was a good year!‖ While working there, and living in So-corro, NM he came in contact with sev-eral hams who got him interested in amateur radio. In 1962 he received his first license WN5EZK. About a month after that he received my General class ticket, WA5EZK. At the end of 1964 he left the missile range and moved to Albuquerque, NM where he was hired by IBM. After a training period Harold moved to Gallup, NM where he worked on the Navajo In-dian Reservation in Arizona. In 1972 Harold left Gallup, NM and moved to Canton, Ohio and continued working with IBM until his retirement in July 1991. Like many of us who moved at that time, Harold was issued a new call — WB8TSJ — by the FCC.

Meet the NCS Operator — KD8QH

Harold was active for several years with that call and then upgraded to the Ad-vanced ticket and was given his current call KD8QH. I He was active here in the local club for several years and mostly worked 40cw and 2 meters. Due to many circumstances he was off the air from the middle 80's until about five years ago, when due to physical problems his normal activities were highly curtailed. His wife Norma sug-gested he get his Ham equipment out of the closet. "You always enjoyed that, and it's something you can do" she told him. Shortly after getting on the air again he discovered ECARS and has been a "fan" ever since. He received a lot of help get-ting signal reports, technical advise and encouragement as he was getting back on the air. Harold says ― I believe ECARS is a really great net and I wish to thank those who have taken the time and energy to keep it a very profes-sional, yet friendly net.‖ (Continued on Page 5)


Articles, Articles, Articles! I am very grateful to Mike Stone, N1VE, and

Albert Wagner, KJ4BYF, and Harold,

Kd8QH, for contributing information or articles for this issue. Your article

can be published too!

The Monitor accepts articles dealing

with the whole range of the amateur radio experience. I just love stories

about how amateur radio has assisted people, don’t you?

I would love to hear from ECARS members who use wireless connec-

tions or Bluetooth to operate their HF radio. Your construction techniques

and your experiences would certainly make for an interesting article.

Some of you are building, repairing, or installing new antennas before win-

ter arrives. Share with us your design and implementation stories. You can

be a source of inspiration and en-couragement for your fellow hams —

the beginners and the experts alike.

The ideas mentioned here are to get

you thinking. What interests do you have—digital communication, com-

puter generated radio? I am happy

to discuss these ideas with you and help you prepare an article for the Monitor.

This is your newsletter and it should

reflect the interests of ECARS and it members. I am always available to

help you. Please send me your ideas or articles at [email protected].

73

Vince, K1AH.

From the Editor



“The Monitor

accepts

articles

dealing with

the whole

amateur radio

experience.”

Show us your Shack

There is one room in the house, ga-rage or basement that every ama-

teur radio operation cherishes. This

room or area is generally referred to as ―the shack.‖

If you are proud of your operating

area and would like to show it to the

ECARS community, ECARS is willing to display appropriate pictures on

the ECARS Web Site if you are an ECARS member. You should send

your picture along with your name, call and ECARS number to

[email protected].

Take a look at WB1CEI’s shack

shown in the photograph at the right. Check out the other shack pic-

tures at Show us your shack on the

web!

WB1CEI Ed Wilbur (1688)



http://www.ecars7255.com/ShackPictures/SlideShow.html

Harold has been a Net Control Station for about four years now. He recalls the phone call when Joe, WY3T, first asked him. ―It was an honor to be asked but I sure had "shaky knees,‖ Harold remembers. When he first did his first Net Control session , he says, ―I was sweating and shaking the whole time.‖ Harold says to others who may be thinking about being Net Control, ―it has been a pleasure. I have met many radio friends. I have really enjoyed my interaction with ECARS and everyone I've come to know through it‖ His current station consists of an ICOM 746pro transceiver, an Ameritron AL80A amplifier. A Heil Traveler single sided headset and a footswitch for transmit control My antennas are a 160m dipole, a 40m, 30m 20m vertical with about 120 radials and a tower mounted 2 meter vertical. Thanks, Harold, for all you do for us. Thank you, Norma! You have given us a very Professional Net Operator.

Meet the NCS Operator (continued from page 3)


QRL I am busy or the frequency is busy. QRM Man-made interference QRN Natural interference (e.g. atmospheric static) QRQ Send FASTER QRS Send SLOWER QRT STOP sending QRU I have nothing for you QRV Ready to receive QRX Stand by QRZ? Who is calling me QRZ You are being called by _____ QSB Your signals are fading QSK I can use (or am using) full break-in QSL I will send a written receipt for this contact QSO An on-the-air contact QSY Change frequency to ______ QTH My location is _____ You should know that any Q-signal may be given an inter-rogatory meaning by following it with a question mark. QRS = Send Slower QRS? = Shall I send slower?

Some Commonly used Q-Signals


Print this page to apply or renew your membership. Membership dues are $10.00 per year. Make checks

payable to ECARS, and put your call sign and member number on the check memo. Multi-year renewals are ap-preciated. Renewals of three years or more will receive a laminated card at no charge. All membership subscrip-tions begin upon receipt of dues and expire 1 year from the date of acceptance or renewal.

All applications and renewals for ECARS membership are subject to the ECARS Bylaws, including, but not limited to, Bylaws 7C and 7D.


http://www.ecars7255.com/bylaws.htm

ECARS members can order cus-tom ceramic coffee mugs from

The SignMan of Baton Rouge for

$19.50 including the cost of pri-ority mail. In addition to the

ECARS logo you can include your call sign and ECARS number be-

low the logon on both sides of the mug, or below the ECARS

logo on one side you can specify

your call sign and on the other side below the ECARS logo you

can specify your ECARS number. Choose the orientation of the

mug (left– or right-hand) de-

pending on which logo combina-tion you would like facing you.

You can order mugs:

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: (225) 757-1545

Fax: (225) 208-1545

Online at the ECARS Store

U.S. Mail from

The SignMan of Baton Rouge

879 Castle Kirk Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808-6020

ECARS Lapel Pin

Please Visit

ECARS Coffee Mug


ECARS lapel pins are available from the club secretary/treasure Charlie Stampf, N3CJ. These beautiful one-inch diameter gold pins with red, white, and blue ECARS insignia in a very durable glossy finish. The price for one pin is $5.00 including postage. To order a pin, send your check made out to ECARS for $5.00 per pin to

ECARS P.O. Box 5923 Hudson, FL 34674-5923

www.ecars7255.com/store/ecarsstore.htm



http://www.ecars7255.com/store/mugorder.htm

http://www.ecars7255.com/store/ecarsstore.htm

ECARS Windbreaker: Price varies depending on order. ECARS wind-breakers are quality garments made by one of the nation’s premier public safety apparel companies. Galls, Inc. ECARS submits orders directly to Galls, and the finished jackets are shipped by Galls directly to the purchaser. Submit questions about the windbreaker or orders to:

[email protected]

Orders for ECARS windbreakers will be taken twice a year, in January and July. Submit orders no later than January 31 or July 31. Print out and complete the Jacket Order Form and send it with a check in the appropriate amount to:

ECARS P.O. Box 5923 Hudson, FL 34674

Caption describing pic-

ture or graphic.

ERCARS Windbreaker Jacket

“To catch the reader's attention, place an

interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”



http://www.ecars7255.com/store/jacketorderform.JPG

Membership renewals, address changes, call sign changes, and new applications

should be sent to:

ECARS, PO Box 5923

Hudson, FL 34674-5923

Membership dues are $10.00 per year. Make checks payable to ECARS, and put

your call sign and member number on

the check memo. Multi-year renewals are appreciated. Renewals of three

years or more will receive a laminated card at no charge. All membership sub-

scriptions begin upon receipt of dues

and expire 1 year from the date of ac-ceptance or renewal.

ECARS decals are available for $1.50

each, and pins for $3.50 each plus $.60 postage per pin. Send your payment To

the address given above.

The editor is Vince Motto who can be

reached at [email protected].

The ECARS Monitor is published by the East Coast Amateur Radio Service Inc.,

for the benefit of its members. Full per-

mission to quote from the Monitor is granted, provided a credit line is used.

Members' for sale advertisements are

run free of charge. Credit card size commercial ads are accepted at a cost

of $15.00 per issue or $45.00 per year.

Send advertisement information to the editor. The Monitor and ECARS do not

assume any responsibility for items of-fered for sale.

Items for the Monitor should be sent to the editor in Microsoft Word or text for-

mat, if possible. The deadline for sub-missions is the 15th of the month pre-

ceding the month of publication, subject to change by the Editor. Publication is in

Feb., June, Oct., and Dec. The Editor

reserves the right to reject, edit, or modify submitted material as necessary.

The Monitor TM Publication Information


Directors Joe Blithe, WB3GVD

Kenneth Mabie, W2PSU

Alex Tinker Jr., W3ICX

Harold Kimbel, Sr., KD8QH

Bob Benson, K2IB

Officers President: Kelly McGuire, N3FQG

Vice Pres: Luke Lauretano, KA1SE

Secretary/Treasurer: Charles Stampf, W4FI

Appointments Net Manager: Joe Reppert, WY3T

Webmaster: Vince Motto, K1AH

The Monitor Editor: Vince Motto, K1AH

Public Relations / Historian: Mack McBride, W3FJ

Swap & Shop: Kelly McGuire, N3FQG

Kenneth Mabie, W2PSU

ECARS Administration Contact Information

















volume no. 42 issue no. 1 october 2010 · volume no. 42 issue no. 1 october 2010 the official...

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