March 10th, 2006 - Featured Speaker: Bernie Stuecker, K4XY. “Spring Antenna Tune-Up Clinic”
Notes Posted By Len Hook on March 17th, 2006
VWS Meeting, Friday, March 10, 2006, Vienna Elementary School
Jim Parsons, W4JTP, Vice-Pres., presiding.
Jim “gobbled” the meeting to order at 19:30 using an official Virginia Tech 1890’s-style centrifugal turkey call. Go Gobblers! Jim opened the meeting by asking each attendee to introduce himself/herself, and to tell everyone his/her name, callsign, hometown, high school name, and high school mascot. This brought much merriment to the proceedings, as we all gained a valuable insight into the vast geographic diversity that the VWS membership encompasses. Thankfully, no one volunteered to sing his/her school fight song. The unofficial winner of the funniest high school mascot was Mike Steussy’s New Braunfels, Texas “Fighting Unicorns.” (We don’t make this stuff up…. www.halcyon.com/marcs/mascotstate.html) Spike ‘em, Corns! (You can imagine the hand signal.)
Attendees: 35
No new members or visitors present.
Upgrades. Congratulations!
Esther Li, KI4LJD, General
Doc Bezold, KC4SKH, Extra
Byron Black, W4SSY, Extra
Old Business.
Len Hook, KG6ZR. Minutes of Feb. 24, 2006 meeting. Approved.
Pete Norloff, KG4OJT. Winterfest 2006 report. Net income was excellent and will carry VWS through the coming year. Attendance was very good, and almost equal to last year. Books sales, table sales, club sales and consignments, donations, tailgating all very good.
Bernie Stuecker, K4XY. Vendors’ comment were very positive, overall.
Reports.
John Transue, AF4PD. Repeater report; we now have modem control of the 2-m repeater. This provides a very convenient mechanism for repeater control. Thanks to AF4PD and K4XY for installing the modem.
Pete Norloff, KG4OJT. Net Control. VWS 2-m net is every Monday, 8 PM, 146.685- MHz, and is open to all who wish to join in the fun and informal roundtable discussions.
Mike Steussy, AE4R. Net Control. 10-m Pow-wow net. K2VX discussed fast CW and speed reading and filled in as net control when AE4R left for chow in the mess hall. VWS 10-m Pow-wow net is every Thursday, 8:30 PM, 28.444 MHz USB, and is open to all who wish to join in the fun and informal roundtable discussions.
Bernie Stuecker, K4XY. Net Control. VWS Digital net is every Tuesday, 8 PM, 3578 MHz 900 Hz offset USB. The net generally starts on BPSK and sometimes shifts to other modes, and is open to all who wish to join in the fun and informal roundtable discussions.
New Business.
Pete Norloff, KG4OJT. VWS’ total donation to the Vienna Elementary School’s “Run for Fun” was $205.
Sterling Park ARC is sponsoring the Virginia QSO Party March 18.
Phil Wherry, AI4JF. Phil is scheduled to speak at the Sterling Park ARC. Topic, VWS Balloon Flights.
Jim Parsons, W4JTP. QRP to the Field is April 29, 2006. Theme, “Parks.” VWS will operate from Freedom Hill Park in Tysons Corner, VA., 8531 Old Courthouse Road near the intersection of Old Court House Road and Rt. 123 (near the Tidy-Bowl Bldg., back of the Mobil station) in the Westbriar area of Tysons Corner. Jim Richey, AG4MA, is organizing the picnic – thanks Jim!
Iain McFayden, KI4HLV. Iain reported on a recent balloon launch in Maryland.
Iain also described a rogue signal on the APRS frequency which turned out to be a stuck 2.5 watt transmitter using WX-Track, belonging to K4QJZ in Linden, VA. Iain and Pete attempted DF chasing on the fox and found it was far west of Dulles Airport, but did not pinpoint an exact location. W1CAR reported that he knew who it was because it had happened before. Bob Bruniga, WB4APR chimed in with a guess but got it wrong due to some false assumptions on elevation.
Jerry Shadle, WA3UTL. Jerry has a Kenwood TND 700 for sale.
Bob Rice, KG4RRN. Bob showed his Motorola desk mike fitted with a modern cable.
Ray Johnson, K5RJ. Assisted an Eagle Scout earning his radio merit badge at ARS K5RJ.
Len Hook, KG6ZR. Len provided tonight’s refreshments. Mike Steussy, AE4R will provide refreshments at the next meeting.
Program, Bernie Stuecker, K4XY. Spring Antenna Tune-Up Clinic.
Bernie demonstrated ways to replace and repair simple wire antennas (see K5RJ for aluminum skyhooks), including methods for stringing antennas in trees via bow and arrow, and EZ-Hang slingshot. He discussed types of wire, rope, insulators, baluns, feedlines, and a myriad of antenna designs. The consensus killer antenna that will last forever is made of copperweld wire strung up with black dacron ropes. Recommended literature: Radio Works Catalog – wire, baluns, insulators. Highly recommended. Mike Toia K3MT’s Antenna Book; some great antennas with unusual designs.
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