GUYWIRE
APRIL 2009
Editor VE5SC sewert@sasktel.net
The online publication of the REGINA AMATEUR RADIO
ASSOCIATION is published monthly except July and August
and is distributed free of charge as a service of RARA
to all licensed hams in the Regina Area who have e-mail
addresses. Anyone NOT wishing to receive future copies
should send an e-mail to the editor and your name will
be removed from the mailing list.
The RARA WEBSITE can be found at:
www.ve5nn.ca
The website contains RARA news, repeater lists, net
listings as well as links to other amateur resources.
Club meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month,
with the exception of July and August, at the Science Center.
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NEXT MEETING: APRIL 8TH 7:30 PM
IMAX BOARD ROOM SCIENCE CENTER
Take the elevator to the top floor and go past
the IMAX projection room.
There will be a continuation of the presentation
by VE5EE and VE5ZG on CANWARN
At our May meeting watch for a presentation on
mapping and GPS systems by Rick VE5RJR
The club year-end financial statement has been
prepared and can be viewed on the club website.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
IF THE IMAX ENTRANCE DOOR IS LOCKED, SOMEONE WILL
BE AT THE DOOR WITH DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO GET TO THE IMAX
BOARDROOM. When the Science Center returns to summer
hours this should no longer be necessary.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Super Cities Walk April 26th
No further information available at this time.
2009 SASKATCHEWAN HAMFEST
Date: Saturday, July 11th.
Location: Lanigan, Saskatchewan At the junction of Hwys 16
and 20 http://www.town.lanigan.sk.ca/
Time from (approximately):
Saskatoon: 1 1/4 hours
Regina/Moose Jaw: 2 hours
Humboldt: 30 minutes
Watrous/Manitou Spa: 30 minutes
Wynyard: 40 minutes
Yorkton: 2 hours
Lanigan is a town of 1200, with all amenities:
Two motels, hospital, shopping mall, service
stations, restaurants/coffee shop, museum, RCMP
detachment, pharmacy, golf course (grass greens),
parks and Lions Campground (reservations accepted 365-3107).
Hamfest activities will take place at the Arena/Town
Hall complex, located near the north end of town on
Main St. All services and attractions are within
walking distance if you are ambulatory.
Tentative Hamfest schedule:
9:00 am - 12:00 noon:
Registration: Free to SARL members, $10 for non-members
(really, folks, an SARL membership cost only 5 bucks
more!!)
Fleamarket - Share your Treasures!!
Please email dfklatt@sasktel.net (David VE5GN) for table
reservations. Cost $2 for members, $3 for non-members.
Remember, folks, this is a non-profit event.
Any revenue left after facility costs will be turned over
to a local charity.
12:00 noon: Hosted BBQ lunch. We are working hard to make
this a complimentary occasion.
If there is a cost, it will be very minimal.
1:00 - 4:00 pm: SARL AGM, sessions of interest
(details to come)
SILENT KEYS
VE5BL
Boris Lavrinoff , VE5BL became a silent key March 12th.
He was 80 years old. Boris was very active in both ARES
and Search and Rescue until his health problems slowed
him down. Our condolences go out to the family.
VE5FLT
Glenn Atkinson VE5FLT passed away on Wednesday Feb. 18th.
Sympathies of the ham community go out to Erin, VE5FLT
on the loss of her husband.
POPULAR HAM STORE GONE
* Burghardt to No Longer Sell Amateur Radio Equipment:
On March 16, Jim Smith, W0MJY, owner of Burghardt Amateur
Center in Watertown, South Dakota
<http://www.burghardt-amateur.com/>,
announced that the company will no longer sell Amateur Radio
transceivers and accessories. The company, now called
Burghardt Radio Repair, has canceled all backorders.
In an e-mail, Smith blamed the current economic conditions
for the change that forced the company "to re-evaluate our
goals and direction. We will continue to provide radio
repair service as it has become a very busy business.
Our technicians are very experienced and parts inventories
are good. Thank you for your support in the past and we look
forward to continuing our relationships through our
servicing facility."
Jim Smith's son, Mike Smith, KC0FTM, told the ARRL that
even though the company has had to lay off employees in
the past couple of months, "Burghardt will concentrate on
service, just like we have been doing since 1973."
Burghardt was founded in 1937 by Stan Burghardt, W0IT (SK),
as Burghardt Radio Supply. He sold the company to Smith
in 1982, remaining active in the company until January 2002.
Burghardt passed away in 2004 at the age of 93.
Courtesy - Terry (VE5TLW)
MONTANA HAM ASSISTS IN RESCUE OF FELLOW AMATEUR
Glenn Russell Ruby Jr, W7AU, of Corvallis, Oregon, broke
his leg while hiking in the Buck Creek Pass area of
the Cascade Mountains. His call for assistance was
heard 600 miles away by Bob Williams, N7ODM, of Bozeman,
Montana.
On Sunday, September 21, Bob Williams, N7ODM, of Bozeman,
Montana, was just tuning around on 40 meters, giving his
rig a test just before a scheduledQSO with his brother Rich,
K7URU, in Spokane, when he heard a faint CW
signal around 1 PM (MDT): Glenn Russell Ruby Jr, W7AU,
of Corvallis, Oregon had broken his leg and was using a
portable radio and Morse code to send out a call for help.
Williams said he was able to understand the injured man's
code even when his signal became very weak.
"He called me. He must have heard me testing out the radio.
When I finished, I signed off with my call, and then I heard,
'N7ODM, this is W7AU/7,' so I answered," Williams told the ARRL.
"I told him to go ahead, I had solid copy. He told me that
he was a hiker that had fallen and broken his leg. He
identified himself as Russ, provided information as to his
GPS coordinates, the shelter, food and water on hand, as well
as his detailed physicalcondition. He told me exactly who I
needed to contact for assistance."
According to Williams, Ruby had slipped on a wet rock
and broken his leg while out hiking in the Buck Creek
Pass area of the high Cascades in Western Washington, 600
miles away from Williams. "Russ really had his act
together," Williams said. "Before he even called for
help, he set up his tent. It was raining when he fell,
so he climbed into his tent and got into some warm clothes
and had a snack of sunflower seeds and dried apricots.
After that, he strung up a wire antenna, fired up his
Elecraft KX1 and called me." Williams said that Ruby told
him he had a "couple of weeks worth
of battery power" for the radio.
Ruby asked Williams to notify the Snohomish County Search
and Rescue in Washington State. "I didn't have their number,
so I called my local 911 dispatcher. All they had was the
info for King County in Washington, so I called them and
they gave me the number for Snohomish. When I got a hold of
Snohomish County Search and Rescue, they asked me to obtain
additional info from Russ, such as the color of his tent
and if he was in a clear or wooded area, and remain in
contact with him as long as possible," Williams said.
"Russ and I were able to maintain contact until about
8 PM on Sunday, during which time I was able to pass
additional traffic between Russ and Search and Rescue,
but then his signal got so weak where I couldn't copy
it anymore. Before he faded, we had agreed to try and
make contact in the morning. I tried, starting around
from the site by Search and Rescue at about 10:35 AM,"
Williams told the ARRL.
On Sunday, rescue crews reached Ruby, who had set up
camp on Buck Creek Pass, at about 6000 feet just west
of the Chelan County line. He was taken to safety Monday
on horseback. Williams said that bad weather Sunday
prevented a helicopter rescue: "It was snowing all
night; Russ told me that when he woke up Monday morning,
his tent was all covered in snow."
"I just happened to be at the same frequency," Williams
said. "It's just astroke of luck that turned out great.
It was quite an experience. I'm justglad that he was a
ham radio operator and that I was able to talk to him. It
made the difference for him. What I did was not anything
special. I'd like to think that any ham in Montana would've
done the same thing."
SOLAR CYCLE NEWS
Jim, VE5CS suggests that if you are interested in what is
happening to the solar cycle, here is an interesting site:
http://www.solarcycle24.com
or try this explanation of sun spots:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090403
/sun_sunspots_090403/20090403?hub=SciTech (note wraparound)
And further news on the deepest solar cycle in a century
is available on this website suggested by Rick, VE5RJR:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/01apr_
deepsolarminimum.htm?friend (Note the wraparound)
LONGEST BURNING LIGHTBULB
There is a lightbulb in California that has been burning
continuously for 108 years. To see it, go to:
http://www.centennialbulb.org/
WWV VOICE SK
The person behind the recorded voice of Time and Frequency
Station WWV has passed away. Announcer Don Elliot Heald, of
Atlanta, Georgia, who gave WWV its human touch, passed away
on Thursday, February 19th.
(Amateur Radio Newsline)
RAC BULLETIN 2009-010E : VE3GJH SK
March 26, 2009
Popular TCA Columnist Becomes Silent Key
Radio Amateurs of Canada sadly reports the death
of Catherine Helen (Cathy) Hrischenko, VE3GJH.
Author of the YL column in The Canadian Amateur (TCA)
magazine for over 25 years, Cathy died peacefully at her
home on Friday, March 20, 2009, surrounded by her husband
George, VE3DGX, and her family, after a fight with cancer.
RADIO MISTAKE -- RF TRAP BLOWN UP BY POLICE
Sad yet funny story out of Omaha -- that's where Police
and a Bomb Squad have blown up an RF trap used in a ham
radio antenna because a cleaning crew thought it might be
a pipe bomb.
The house in question belonged to Bob Rennolet, W0AEX.
There had been an electrical fire in the house two weeks ago
and he had hired a clean-up crew. Since no one present knew
what the mysterious device was -- and rather than take chances --
the Bomb Squad decided to blow up the gizmo -- a not-uncommon
device used in multi-band ham radio antennas.
(Story adapted from Amateur Radio Newsline)
A RAPID-RECHARGE LITHIUM BATTERY
Materials scientists at MIT report that they've invented
a new kind of lithium-ion battery that can fully charge or
discharge in seconds, instead of minutes. If commercialized,
the battery could allow future hybrid cars to rapidly
recharge their batteries, or it may lead to new consumer
products, the scientists say.
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/mar09/8149
Green Statement 2009: No trees were sacrificed in
the dissemination of this newsletter; we regret that a
large number of electrons were inconvenienced.
R.A.R.A. Membership Application 20092010
(Please write clearly and enter Y or N in boxes as required)
Name: _____________________________________________
Call Sign: ______________ Current RAC membership
Mailing Address: _____________________________________
_____________________________________
e-mail Address: _____________________________________
Renewal or New Membership
Single Membership ($30) ____ Family membership ($35) ____
I have enclosed $____ for ____membership(s) indicated above.
Please include this application with your fee to club treasurer
Allan Tidball or mail cheque to Regina Amateur Radio Assoc.
(VE5LAT) Box 153 Station Main
Regina, Sask. S4P 2Z6