K5RWK UPCOMING EVENTS

Meeting-on-the-Air

Monday, February 2, 7:30 P.M.

RWK Repeater, 2 Meters

147.120 (no PL Tone)

###

Monthly Meeting

Monday, February 9, 6:30 P.M.

St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church

1220 W. Beltline Rd, Richardson

Call signs & QSLs

with

Bob Winn W5KNE

###

Monthly Breakfast

Saturday, February 21, 8:00 A.M.

Southern Recipe

1381 W. Campbell Rd.

Richardson

### RACES Nets & Siren Test

Monday, February 2, 9:00 P.M. (Net)

Wednesday, February 4 Noon (SirenTest)

Monday, February 16, 9:00 P.M. (Net)

Dallas NBEMS Learning Net

First & Third Wednesday - 7:30 P.M.

147.120 (no PL Tone)

Affiliated Club Since 1952

Ham radio license exams

3rd

Thursday of each month @ 7:00 P.M.

St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church

The Chawed Rag

Volume 45, Issue 2, February 2015

Call signs & QSLs

Bob Winn will share his presentation, "Evolution of amateur radio call letters and QSL cards."

Hear little-known ham history as Bob relates the ways call signs evolved over the years, along with how QSL cards became such a popular part of ham radio.

Bob was licensed in 1955 and obviously is a DX hound. He has operated from the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, Germany, Mexico, American Samoa, and St. Paul's Island. He is a former editor of the DX newsletter, QRZ DX.

Bob's other interests are ham history, QSL cards, photography, and collecting sands from various islands.

A proponent of ARRL's Logbook of the World, Bob may even shed some light on the current state of electronic QSO confirmations using LOTW. Are you ready to join in the fun about the lighter side of ham radio?

In this issue:

1 K5RWK Upcoming Events

2 Prior meeting summary

3 RWK website & E-mail reflector information

3 Monthly Richardson sirens test

4 Future RWK events

K5RWK Repeater 147.120/147.720

No tone needed - start talking!

Australian QSL card from October 1958.

Prior meeting summary

Randy Berger talks about operating in Costa Rica

Members listened intently to Randy and John describe their mini-DXpeditions to Costa Rica and St. Lucia.

DXpeditions for Fun!

John Nagel W5EXJ and Randy Berger WA0D described their experiences conducting 'mini-DXpeditions to St. Lucia and Costa Rica. Both enjoy the thrill of being on the DX end of the pile-ups as hams around the world compete for that short, sweet QSO as they hear their call sign repeated by a rare DX station. Thanks to DXpeditions to the very rare entities, hams can savor contacts with uninhabited islands where governmental approval is required to land and operate a radio station. Such expeditions can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take many months of logistical planning for the team of operators. On the other hand, Mini-DXpeditions can be as simple as taking portable rigs and antennas along on a two-week vacation to a Caribbean island or to another continent.

37 members & guests attended

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About QSL Cards: The QSL card is the final courtesy of a QSO. It confirms specific details about your two-way

contact with another ham. Whether you want the other station's QSL as a memento of an enjoyable QSO or for

an operating award, it's wise to have your own QSL cards and know how to fill them out. That way, when you

send your card to the other station, it will result in the desired outcome (a confirming card sent back to you).

And you'll be ready to respond if the other operator wants a QSL from you. (ARRL Operating Manual)

You will learn much more about QSL cards, and their history, from Bob Winn W5KNE at our February 9 meeting.

Be sure to attend!

2014 Officers & Board Members

President Herb Welch W5YKU 214.808.6624

V.P. & Program Coordinator Grant Laughlin W5XJ 214.908.6355

Treasurer Doug Kilgore KD5OUG 972.231.8539

Secretary

John DiFillipo AF5MN 972.720.8626

Director Don Bowen K5LHO 972.235.3063

Director

Dave Russell W2DMR 972.690.9894

Director-Historian Bill Owens AD5EW 972.380.2859

Director-Field Day Carl Solomon W5SU 972.233.1233

Director Emeritus Hal Wolff N5BT 972.233.0345

Director Emeritus Forest Cummings W5LQU 972.231.0793

Repeater Chairman Doug Kilgore KD5OUG 972.231.8539

Repeater Trustee Bob Coelln KG5JL 214.244.9506

Newsletter Editor /PIO/Past President Dick Morgan K6RAH 972.931.7993

Webmaster Bill Reed NX5R 972.713.9555

The Chawed Rag is the official publication of The Richardson Wireless Klub, Inc. You may reproduce any material contained herein unless otherwise noted, with attribution to The Chawed Rag, original author(s), and The Richardson Wireless Klub, Inc. Please send us a complimentary copy.

Klub membership is open to all persons interested in amateur radio. Join at any meeting, by mail or on-line. Annual dues are $15 individual, $20 family, or $5 student rate.

Archives of The Chawed Rag are available online at: http://k5rwk.org/rwk01/index.php/rwk-documents/rwk-newsletters.

RWK Web Page & E-mail Reflector Information

RWK Website: http://www.k5rwk.org

RWK E-mail: The Klub has a Yahoo group mailing list. Go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rwk-ntx/

All Klub members are encouraged to subscribe.

The E-mail list is a forum for announcements, comments

and ideas of interest to members.

Any approved list member may post a message to the

group at rwk-ntx@yahoogroups.com.

RWK Siren Testing Services

The City of Richardson will test all emergency sirens on

first Wednesdays, at noon (weather permitting). We do

not conduct the test if the weather looks threatening, to

avoid confusing residents. Hams assist each month by

going to a designated siren, checking into the net on

147.12 MHz, watching and listening to the performance of

the siren, then reporting on the net. Most sirens have an

assigned ham, but there often are unassigned sirens.

New hams are welcome to participate and learn!

Please contact Don Bowen K5LHO, 972.235.3063,

if you can help with siren tests near your QTH.

Why “The Chawed Rag?”

Ham radio operators love to talk! In addition to the many emergency communications services provided to their communities, hams enjoy chatting with fellow hams on the air. Hams exchange information about their locations, radio equipment they use, antennas, tuners, etc.

Additionally, hams often discuss the weather and exchange personal and family information. They develop on-the-air friendships. Such discussions are often characterized as “chewing the rag” with a friend or several friends over a network. That is the origin of this newsletter’s strange name.

Frankly, rag chewing with fellow hams is something that you must experience to appreciate. Ham radio is fun! If you want to explore amateur radio, contact one of our board members and join us at our monthly meetings. You are always welcome.

IMPORTANT REMINDER TO MEMBERS

It's time to renew. Be prompt with your 2015 RWK dues.

Future RWK Events:

Feb 02 – Monday – Meeting on the Air, 7:30 P.M.

Feb 02 – Monday – Richardson RACES Net, 9:00 P.M.

Feb 04– Wednesday – City of Richardson Siren Test, 12:00 noon http://www.cor.net/EM

Feb 04– Wednesday – NBEMS Learning Net, 7:30 P.M. 147.120 MHz

Feb 09 - Monday – Monthly Meeting, 6:30 P.M. – TBA (Mentoring @ 5:30 P.M.)

Feb 16 – Monday – Richardson RACES Net, 9:00 P.M.

Feb 18– Wednesday – NBEMS Learning Net, 7:30 P.M. 147.120 MHz

Feb 19 – VE ham radio license exams, 7:00 P.M., St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church. Call 972.380.2859

Feb 21 – Saturday – Breakfast at Southern Recipe, 1381 W. Campbell Rd, Richardson – 8:00 A.M.

Mar 02 – Monday – Meeting on the Air, 7:30 P.M.

Mar 02 – Monday – Richardson RACES Net, 9:00 P.M.

Mar 04– Wednesday – City of Richardson Siren Test, 12:00 noon http://www.cor.net/EM

Mar 04- NBEMS Learning Net, 7:30 P.M. 147.120MHz

Mar 09 - Monday – Monthly Meeting, 6:30 P.M. – TBA (Mentoring @ 5:30 P.M.)

Mar 16 – Monday – Richardson RACES Net, 9:00 P.M.

Mar 18 - Wednesday – NBEMS Learning Net, 7:30 P.M. 147.120 MHz

Mar 19 – VE ham radio license exams, 7:00 P.M., St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church. Call 972.380.2859

Mar 21 – Saturday – Breakfast at Southern Recipe, 1381 W. Campbell Rd, Richardson – 8:00 A.M.

Apr 01– Wednesday – City of Richardson Siren Test, 12:00 noon http://www.cor.net/EM

Apr 01– Wednesday – NBEMS Learning Net, 7:30 P.M. 147.120 MHz

Apr 06 – Monday – Meeting on the Air, 7:30 P.M.

Apr 06 – Monday – Richardson RACES Net, 9:00 P.M.

Apr 13 - Monday – Monthly Meeting, 6:30 P.M. – DXpeditions for Fun! (Mentoring @ 5:30 P.M.)

Apr 15– Wednesday – NBEMS Learning Net, 7:30 P.M. 147.120 MHz

Apr 16 – VE ham radio license exams, 7:00 P.M., St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church. Call 972.380.2859

Apr 18 – Saturday – Breakfast at Southern Recipe, 1381 W. Campbell Rd, Richardson – 8:00 A.M.

Apr 20 – Monday – Richardson RACES Net, 9:00 P.M.

Are you a member of ARRL?

More than 80% of RWK members belong to ARRL! Our national organization does so much more than publish QST magazine. Membership in ARRL is a wise investment for hams, especially new hams wanting to enhance or update their radio knowledge. ARRL helps protect our precious amateur frequency allocations. K5RWK is an ARRL Affiliated Club.

Q

Need help getting a ham license? Getting on the air? Trying a new facet? The Richardson Wireless Klub (RWK) donated to the Richardson Public Library a set of books to study for the Technician License. In addition, there are handbooks on various facets of ham radio operations. Look on the third floor in reference category 621.384. RWK now has several “loaner” HF and VHF transceivers available for short-term use by newly licensed RWK members. For more information, contact Dick Morgan (k6rah@arrl.net or 972.931.7993). RWK offers “Elmer” Mentoring Roundtables prior to the Klub’s regular monthly meetings. Arrive at 5:30 P.M. to get answers to your ham questions and issues. RWK members act as local “Elmers” to new hams or members exploring new modes or interests. "Elmer" is the term used to identify a mentor for amateur radio. If you could use some help, just let us know. We will put you together with one of our ‘old hands’ to help get you going. Meanwhile, here is a good online site with lots of references, self-study guides and video. http://www.hamelmer.com/. You will find interactive practice license exams online at the following websites: http://qrz.com/ht/, http://www.eham.net/exams/ or check out http://www.qrz.com/ht/. When you can consistently get a 90% or better on practice exams, you are ready to take the real exam from a local club’s Volunteer Examiner team. You can check for exam locations, dates, and times at http://www.arrl.org/exam_sessions/search.

CLICK HERE: to go directly to ARRL’s “Practical Radio Applications for New Technician Licensees.”

P.S. RWK offers exam sessions on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 P.M. For more info, call Bill Owens at 972.380.2859. Alert! Alert! 40% of RWK’s membership could upgrade their license class!

“QUA” (I HAVE NEWS OF…...)

K5RWK VE Ham Exam sessions – Monthly Progress Report The Richardson Wireless Klub holds license exam sessions on the third Thursday evening each month, starting at 7:00 P.M. We examined six candidates in January. The exams produced one Technician, two Generals, and two new Extra Class hams. One long-time ham from India passed all three exams during our January test session, gaining his U.S. FCC license! Thanks from Bill Owens to the other VEs who assisted with testing. We had six VEs in January. Seven is ideal, so Bill still is looking to expand the pool of VE examiners to ensure we always have enough help to handle all candidates properly.

If you know someone who would like to become a ham, please tell him/her about the RWK VE program. If you would like to join our team of VE's, please contact Bill Owens, AD5EW by email at wtowens3@sbcglobal.net or phone 972-380-2859.

Interested in becoming a VE? An open book orientation exam for Volunteer Examiners is all it takes to receive ARRL accreditation. If you are a General, Advanced, or Extra Class, why not get your accreditation? Attend an exam session and see for yourself how satisfying it can be to help conduct license exams. For more information, contact Bill Owens at 972.380.2859 or email wtowens3@sbcglobal.net.

RWK Repeater 'Voice of the Month'

Congratulations to Andrew Koenig KE5GDB for being the K5RWK Voice of the Month on the RWK repeater.

This announcement will be re-recorded each month. The winner of the 50-50 drawing at the monthly meeting gains the

privilege of selecting the "Voice of the Month." The winner may record his/her own voice or select someone else to be the

new voice. The selected person does not have to be a ham. This allows a family member or friend - male or female - to be

recorded and hear themselves 'on the air.' Be listening for each month's new voice announcement.

This is FUN! Doug Kilgore KD5OUG, RWK Repeater Chairman

Just for fun, since you’ve read this far… T-shirts say the dandiest things...

> Feeling woozy, just lie down. You can't fall off the floor.

> Yesterday was the deadline for all complaints!

> The future is just not what is used to be.

> Love your enemies. It'll make 'em crazy!

> Sorry, my karma just ran over your dogma.

> I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent!

> Kite flyers keep it up longer.

> When you don't know what you're doing, do it neatly.

> You have a right to your opinions. I just don't want to hear them!

> I don't know. I don't care. So, it makes no difference.

> I'm not wearing any underwear. Film at 11:00.

Welcome new members! Walter Anderson KG5FMI Andrew Koenig KE5GDB

Jim Jinright AF5UX Bill Richards KM5VZ

Landon Elfenbein N5AET Denise Bogdon (studying for her Technician license)

New VE license examiners!

John Di Filippo AF5MN Jim Jinright AF5UX

Andrew Koenig KE5GDB

Special note: All three new VEs assisted during our January session. Thanks for your participation!

2015 RWK dues - prompt payment will make Doug Kilgore a happy ham!

Send your check and renewal page today to the Klub address shown below, or pay during our February 9 meeting. Thanks to those who have already renewed! Your continued support of RWK and amateur radio is very much appreciated. Get active...or stay active in 2015. There are more opportunities than ever to pursue your ham radio interests with fellow members. More activities, more members, more knowledge, more fun, and ultimately, you will be of greater value to your community!

1.

HAM TRIVIA QUIZ

The first telegraph line in the U.S. ran between which two cities?

1. Baltimore and Washington D.C. 2. New York City and Chicago 3. Hartford and Boston 4. Boston and New York City

From the Extra Class question pool What is the approximate maximum range for signals using transequatorial propagation?

A. 2500 miles

B 7500 miles

C. 5000 miles

D. 1000 miles

RWK receives a new Yaesu repeater

RWK has received a new Yaesu DR-1X digital/conventional FM dual mode repeater at a discounted price reserved for

active, long-standing radio clubs. The new C4FM dual band repeater features Auto Mode Select ("AMS") technology that

recognizes the signal as C4FM digital or conventional FM, and then retransmits the signal using the preset

communications mode. RF output is selectable to 50W/20W/5W levels.

The new repeater provides continued use of conventional FM communications while integrating the use of digital functions

through its unique AMS capability. When replacing our existing conventional FM repeater, AMS on the receiver side is set

to Auto mode and AMS on the transmitter side is set to FM FIX mode. If the repeater receives C4FM Digital signals, it

converts them and retransmits them in conventional FM automatically. When receiving conventional FM signals, it

retransmits them unchanged as the FM repeater. The new repeater provides more flexibility for the digital age.

Our repeater trustee, Carl Solomon, and others will be working on the repeater installation during February 2015. Existing

peripheral devices such as the duplexer and amplifier, etc. will work as-is with the new control unit.

Carl Solomon and Grant Laughlin open the box Carl holds up the 'new baby' members drooled over the DR-1X

FCC "Paperless" Amateur Radio License Policy Goes into Effect on February 17 Starting February 17, the FCC no longer will routinely issue paper license documents to Amateur Radio applicants and licensees. The Commission has maintained for some time now that the official Amateur Radio license authorization is the electronic record that exists in its Universal Licensing System (ULS), although the FCC has continued to print and mail hard copy licenses. In mid-December the FCC adopted final procedures to provide access to official electronic authorizations, as it had proposed in WT Docket 14-161 as part of its "process reform" initiatives. Under the new procedures, licensees will access their current official authorization ("Active" status only) via the ULS License Manager. The FCC will continue to provide paper license documents to all licensees who notify the Commission that they prefer to receive one. Licensees also will be able to print out an official authorization - as well as an unofficial "reference copy" - from the ULS License Manager.

"We find this electronic process will improve efficiency by simplifying access to official authorizations in ULS, shortening the time period between grant of an application and access to the official authorization, and reducing regulatory costs," the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) said. According to the WTB, the new procedures will save at least $304,000 a year, including the cost of staff resources.

In comments filed November 5, the ARRL had strongly recommended that the FCC "give serious consideration to continuing a default provision for sending an initial paper license document to new licensees in the Amateur Radio Service, along with detailed, simple instructions for how to make the elections set forth in the notice relative to future modified or renewed licenses."

The FCC said that applicants or licensees who include a valid e-mail address under "Applicant Information" in the ULS will receive an official electronic authorization via e-mail. New license applicants who do not provide a FCC Registration Number at the examination point will receive a printed license as well as an FRN and a temporary password to access the Commission Registration System (CORES).

The ARRL and other Amateur Radio commenters also worried that unless a license document is printed on distinctive paper stock, its authenticity could be questioned in such situations as obtaining vanity call sign license plates. To address this, the FCC said the watermark "Official Copy" will be printed on each page of an official authorization that a licensee prints out from the ULS. The WTB recently stopped using distinctive paper stock to produce hard copy licenses and has been printing these on "standard, white recycled paper." The Bureau noted that the distinctive paper stock it had used was six times more expensive than the plain recycled paper it now uses.

The ULS License Manager now includes settings that allow licensees to notify the WTB that they prefer to receive official authorizations on paper. Once the final procedures go into effect designating electronic access as the default, licensees can change the ULS License Manager setting so that the Bureau will print and mail a license document. Licensees also may contact FCC Support via the web at, http://esupport.fcc.gov/index.htm?job=contact_fcc_support , or via telephone or mail to request paper licenses.

From a recent ARRL survey: What is your favorite time of day to be on the air?

Between 6 AM and Noon = 21%

Between Noon and 6 PM = 17%

Between 6 PM and midnight = 55.9%

Between midnight and 6 AM = 6%

I'm so busy going to ham fests,

and building Arduino boards

that I don't have any time to

get on the air = .5%

Note: Slightly amended by editor

Two Meters At Its Best by N7NET

About fifteen years have passed since I left Oregon’s Willamette Valley where the Cascade and Coast Range mountain peaks host a number of 2meter repeaters. The altitude provides large footprints and folks in the valleys make good use of them. A friend who is now a silent key, Harry, KA7NYB, worked as a newspaperman until he lost his sight in his mid-fifties. In spite of this handicap, he maintained a positive outlook, and much of that attitude should be credited to his friends, especially one former coworker. This coworker bicycled to his office at the Eugene Register Guard newspaper building every morning. Both his call sign and name escapes me; I only recall the diversity he added to Harry’s life. To simplify this story I call him Frank. Each morning at 7:30 with a HT in his pocket and a half wave vertical antenna attached to the luggage rack, Frank pedaled a mile long trek, taking Harry with him on a virtual tour of the Willamette River Bike Path. Harry wasn’t the only one who benefitted from this activity; we all looked forward to this event and cleared the frequency for the two of them."Wow! There’s a new occupant emerging from the culvert behind the Ed’s Diner," Frank might say. Or sometimes he described a new flower greeting the crisp morning. There was always something and I enjoyed these trips as much as Harry did. We all did. Each year Frank took a weeklong camping trip to the Three Sisters Wilderness Area located in the high Cascades. A nonham friend drove the car to a parking lot from which they hiked a ten mile trail to Horse Lake. Once there, the two of them fished for native trout, enjoyed the clean mountain air, and watched wildlife. They took enough food in case a May Fly hatch, or some other natural disaster, occurred that might spoil the fishing. In addition, Frank took a 2meter HT and a fistful of AA batteries as well his half wave vertical antenna. Horse Lake, located eighty plus miles east of the 146.72 repeater was line of site. If ducting was not an issue five watts, or less, always did the job. So each afternoon at two o’clock Frank called Harry and filled him in on the ‘issues of the day,’ how many fish they’d caught or how many eagles they’d spotted. In signing, he always added, “Please call Hazel and tell her I’m okay.” One day two o’clock came and went without a peep from Frank. Those of us who waited each afternoon for the daily update grew more concerned with each passing hour. Staying positive, we blamed radio silence on equipment failure, ducting, or maybe the fishing was going so well he forgot about Harry and Hazel. Just the same, we kept the frequency clear for Frank. About four o’clock we heard Frank’s call sign. There was an unheard collective sigh of relief, yet we all sensed that something was amiss. “Harry,” he began, “we had hotcakes for dinner last evening and there was one left over. So we drenched it with syrup and then laid it on a log for a squirrel that had been nagging us since the day we arrived. Evidently, the squirrel was not a fan of hotcakes. He wouldn’t touch it. We fished until dusk and then hit the sack. It was a moonless night when I awoke to a crashing sound. When I unzipped the tent to see what was the matter I butted heads with something large and wooly a bear.” “Was it a brown bear or a black bear?” Harry asked. “Couldn’t tell. It was a bear bear. We had a pistol somewhere in the tent, but we’d misplaced the flashlight. After a desperate search I poked the revolver out the entrance flap and fired a couple of rounds into the air. Then we heard the bears departure, crashing through the brush.” “So you’re coming home early?” Harry asked. “We talked about it, but we’ve waited too long. There’s a big chance we might lose our way if we’re on the trail after dark. We’ll have to stay one more night. Please don’t tell hazel about the bear; just tell her I’m okay.” Harry agreed and they signed. The following morning about ten Frank called. They were packed up and on the trail, but they still had a three hour hike to where the car was parked and then a two hundred mile drive to the house. Please tell Hazel there was a May Fly hatch and I’m coming home early.” Frank entertained us all the next winter with stories of tasty, wild trout, chattering squirrels, camp robbing blue jays–and curious bears. But the encounter with the bear changed his summer vacation schedule. If he ever returned to Horse Lake he never told anyone.

Reprinted courtesy of MARC, McKinney Amateur Radio Club newsletter

Copyright 2015, Richardson Wireless Klub K5RWK, Box 830232, Richardson, TX 75083. Answer to Extra Class Question: C Trivia Quiz: 1