Det Connection in North Lawrence. $18.75 per person does include tip and tax for buffet style dinner like we had last year. People who plan to attend must prepay by December 5 to DCARC so club can pay in one check. Make payable to DCARC and pass on to Bill Pendleton N0KRI, Treasurer. Beside two main dishes, vegaterian is available by request. Again this year we will enjoy having our own space for these festivities!--Jim, N6YR .............................................................................. DCARC SPECIAL EVENTS STATION NOWHERE, KANSAS, SATURDAY, 16 OCTOBER 1999 The Douglas County Amateur Radio Club will conduct its annual Special Events Station on Saturday, October 16, at Nowhere, KS, operating from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time. The following announcement has been submitted to QST and 73 as follows: “Nowhere, KS: Douglas Co. ARC, W0UK, 1400 16 Oct 1999 to 2100 16 Oct 1999, Baldwin City Maple Leaf Festival, Lower Gen 4010 m. 21.325 main. Certificate. Ken Blair KC0GL, 1711 West 19th Terrace, Lawrence, KS 66046.ö We will be contacting many stations by phone the country as well as a few DX stations. There may also be a CW 40 m station. We take time to explain to those who have not seen the above announcement just what our special events station is all about. We use the following statement as an explanation: “This event is held in conjunction with the Baldwin City Maple Leaf Festival and commemorates a ride on the Historic Midland Railway Association train from Baldwin City, Kansas to Nowhere, Kansas, located about 4 miles south of Baldwin City.” We may also get into some short QSOs when stations ask questions, or say that they were originally from Kansas, or that they attended KU, or what is the weather like. We try and keep QSOs short so that other stations may have an opportunity to contact us and receive a certificate for the contact by sending in a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE). That explains the activity but does not describe all of the fun we have setting up the station and making contacts. If all the conditions are perfectùgood band conditions, good weather--it’s as close as you may ever come to operating what is called by contesters as a “Big Gun” station. “Big Guns” usually stay on one frequency, have a powerful signal (kilowatt) and as a result many stations try and make contact. Although we will not have the kilowatt power, there are sometimes pileups (many stations) trying to make contact because we offer something they wanta certificate to add to their wallpaper collection. The Maple Leaf Festival usually falls on the same weekend as the “Boy Scout Ontheair Jamboree.” We receive requests to say hi to several individual scouts from one ham station and in this case we spend a little more time than the normal short QSOs. We encourage them to become a ham radio operator. This Special Events Station is sort of like a miniature Field Day, except there is much less work involved and plenty of opportunity for those who want to operate and and log to see what it is like to make numerous contacts. To get to Nowhere, Kansas, drive south on Highway 59 to one mile past the Douglas CountyFranklin County line, turn east and drive a couple of miles or so until you reach the railroad tracks. Plan to arrive at 7:59 a.m. so that the setup can be completed and on the air by 9:00 a.m. The present plan is to have the Douglas County Emergency Van at the site and, hopefully a beam and 40 meter dipole available. Everyone usually brings some lawn chairs, snacks and drinks and, just to be sure it wonÆt rain, umbrellas and rain coats. Sometimes we have made a campfire and cooked hot dogs as well as keeping warm on cooler days. Questions? Contact Bob Rainbolt, WB0AUQ, 8429799 or Ken Blair, KC0GL, 8438826. This is the club’s fun activity highlight of the year. Plan to participate. .............................................................................. THE MS-150 BIKE RIDE By Will Shockley, WD0WDW Several able bodied souls from the DCARC gladly volunteered their services during the MSû 150 bike tour in our area on Saturday and Sunday, September 18 and 19, 1999: Vince Francisco KC0DLP, Bob Rainbolt WA0AUQ (his XYL was a rider), Bud Waugh N0APJ, and myself, Will Shockley WD0WDW. Net control was Terry KA0BHO and Melba KA0BAT Hoss along with members from the their club in Topeka. Joining in on the fun in the not so sunny weekend were the Gold Wings motorcycle club which rode along side the bicyclist and Citizen Emergency Radio Team (CERT) of Topeka. Saturday morning we all set out for our respective rest stop and set up our gear. Bob was assigned the last stop of the day at Southwest Jr. Hi while I was at rest stop 10 the Wakarusa Grade school at 9:00 a.m. I introduced myself to everyone and helped get the food, drinks, and tents setup. The rest stop volunteers were all employed by the FMC company and one of them was my neighbor that I hadnÆt met before. I really need to get out more often! Since the riders started at 7:00 a.m. from Washburn Rural High School west of Topeka, I figured that it would plenty of time to chat with folks and get in line for a back massage from the medical staff person when the report from net control was one rider was trying to break the record for the ride. Well he showed up at our rest stop at 11:36 a.m. The next riders showed up about 1+ hours later. Talk about pedaling! The rest of the day went very smooth with no major problems. Then came Sunday. After about 4 hours of sleep I made it back to rest stop and began setting up at 6:00 a.m. Bob and Vince made it to the start line about an hour earlier. Just as the riders were about the leave the rain started. After some discussion with the MS150 director the riders were turned loose. The Gold Wings stopped at my rest stop and got their rain gear on with the hope that it will be a short little shower. WRONG! The short shower turned out to be all day. this made our tasks that much harder with trying to stay dry and keep the riders safe. The Gold Wings really deserve the blue ribbon of the day for never letting the riders out of their sights, even during the heaviest of downpours. Bob and Vince were able to clear the start line and move to the finish line at the Perry Lecompton High School while I was able to move to the train tracks just south of Perry. Bud was assigned the rest stop at the farthest north point of the course somewhere by Ozawkie, Kansas. Despite the weather the ride was a success with better than 75% completing the ride. The record breaker finished before Bob and Vince got to the finish line so I never heard if he broke the record. There were approximately 370 Bike Tour cyclists. They raised over $123,000 for research and programs for nearly 1,000 people affected by multiple sclerosis in eastrern Kansas. All in all I had great time and wished more of you could be out there and enjoy the fun. After all where else could you get a free food, free drinks, free back rub along with a free shower afterwards? For those who were there, “just what color is the white Chevy Suburban sweeping the course?” or “not to be confused with the yellow Penske truck” and the one thing I learned is never ask an amateur to help find a tube for your bike. Do you know how many 3500z’s it takes? The next time someone asks for volunteers, think about the fun you will be missing if you are sitting on your hands. Hope to see you at the CROP walk on October 3rd. + ................................................................................. MINUTES OF 8 SEPTEMBER 1999 DCARC MEETING By Earl Schweppe, N0KYS, Secretary After members introduced themselves, the Club heard a presentation by Jack Cashill on Y2K and other issues, The business meeting was convened at 8:45 and the minutes of the August 11 meeting were accepted. The President, Vince Francisco KC0DLP, reported that the club would receive $5 for each ARRL member and $2 for each associate member. The Vice President and Secretary had no reports to give. The Treasurer, Bill Pendleton N0KRI, reported $287.37 in the General Fund and $312.90 in the Repeater Fund for a total of $600.27. He also had in hand a bill for $101.13 for printing the August and September newsletters which was approved. The Emergency Coordinator, Will Schockley KB0WDW, had nothing to report. The Program Manager, Jim Canaday N6YR, reported that we would have a program on amateur radio in Austria by Otto Koudelka OE60KG on October 13 and he was looking for a construction project for the November meeting. The Information Manager, Ruth Hull N0ULD, had brought old issues of QST that were free for the taking. Then Newsletter Editor, Ken Blair KC0GL, pointed out that next year is the Thirtieth Anniversary of our club. He has sent a letter to all of the charter members asking for input for a special issue of the newsletter to appear in 2000. The local police, sheriffs, fire, etc. will be going to a ôtrunking systemö soon. The Training Manager, Bob Drake N0TFU, reported that the Code Only Class has 17 students signed up and will begin on the 13th in Room B. Examinations will be on November 1st or 8th. The President reported that one of the Activity Managers, Jeff Langley KC0DLL has moved to Fort Scott. The 146.76 repeater was reported to be working well, but the 147.03 repeater is going to be outofservice because the current tower is being removed and replaced. All the managersÆ reports and the TreasurerÆs Report were accepted unanimously. Under old business, the President is appointing a nominating committee for officers next year consisting of Will Schockley, Jerry Vogel and himself. There is a VHF contest this weekend. The MS 150 Walk is on September 1819 and Terry KA0BHO from the Topeka Club was present and will serve as net control. The 1 OK Crop Walk will be on October 3 starting at 1 p.m. from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Inverness and Clinton Parkway, and ending there also about 4 p.m. The 76 repeater will be used. Matt Hilt KB0WDV was welcomed as a new member and our visitor from Austria, Otto Koudelka OE6OKG, was accepted as an academic year member. There was no new business other that a brief mention of Nowhere in October. Respectfully submitted, Earl Schweppe N0KYS, Secy .............................................................................. REPORT OF THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE The Nominating committee presents the following slate to be voted upon at the October 13 meeting: President Dan Gravatt, N2PRC VicePresident Gordon Fitch, N0AB Secretary Troy Flower, KC0DWS Treasurer Bill Pendleton, N0KRI Activity Manager Vince Francisco, KC0DPL Repeater Managers Will Shockley, KB0WDW, Bud Waugh, N+APJ Emergency Management Coordinator Will Shockley, KB0WDW Training Manager Bob Drake, N0TFU Program Manager Jim Canaday, N6YR Information Manager Open Newsletter Editor Ken Blair, KC0GL --Respectfully Submitted by the Nominating Committee, Bill Pendleton N0KRI, Will Shockley KB0WDW, Vince Francisco KC0DPL, Chair. .............................................................................. A TRIP TO THE CENTER OF THE U.S. By JD Linn, KC0BD Recently Doris and I went to the "Geographical Center of the U.S.," located near Lebanon, Kansas about one mile north and one mile west. There is a shelter house and some places to cook. Other than the picnic area and a monument and plaque there wasn't much else there. Here's a photo of the monument and me. I hope you can tell which is which. [Here is a little more information about the center of the U.S.--Editor] The following is from "Soundoff" as it appeared in the 9/18/99 issue of the Lawrence JournalWorld: Q: At one time the geographical center of the U.S. was Lebanon, KS. Since Alaska and Hawaii have been added, I'm wondering if there is a geographical center now and, if so, where is it? A: While the center of the first 48 states is near Lebanon at 39+50' North and 98+35' West, the geographic center of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, is west of Castle Rock, South Dakota at 44+58' N latitude, 103+46' W longitude, according to Infoplease.com at www.infoplease. lycos.com/. + .............................................................................. A NEAT IDEA Here is a kit that would be great for a project night. Its called the Jersey Fireball 40. It's a little QRP transmitter which can be built for either 80M, 40M ,20M, or 10M. The kit can be built in about 30 minutes so it would be perfect for a meeting night project. The kit costs ten dollars and includes all the parts and circuit board for 40M. All you have to add is a case (an Altoids or Sucrets box works) and the jacks for an antenna and key. The circuit board is all set to add an optional keyer, t/r switch, and power amp to bring the output up to over 1 watt. wantmore info? Check out the rig at http://www.njqrp.org/fireball40/index.html. --From JulyAugust 1999 edition of the "Static," the newsletter of the Straits Area ARC, Dirk Esterline, KG8JK, Editor, via ARNS Bulletin, September 1999. ................................................................................. WINDOWS AND Y2K Here is a fix for a small Y2K problem. If you have not done this, you should do it since this default date format feeds application software. It is worth changing... TEST: Click on “START” Click on “SETTINGS” Click on “CONTROL PANEU” Double click on “REGIONAL SETTINGS” icon. Where it says “Short Date Sample”, look and see if it shows a “two digit year (yy)”. This is the default setting for Windows 95, Windows 98 and NT. This date RIGHT HERE, is the date that feeds applications software and WILL NOT roll over correctly in the year 2000. It will roll over to 00. Click on the “SHORT DATE STYLE” pull down menu and select the option that shows mm/dd/yyyy. (Be sure that your selection has four Y’s showing and not two). Click on “APPLY” and then dick on “OK” at the bottom. Easy enough to fix. However, every single installation of Windows worldwide is defaulted to fail Y2K roll over. Feel free to pass this on to your associates and friends. Good Luck. --From "Feedback," September 1999, Johnson County Radio Amateurs Club, Inc., Bill Epperson, WB0CEF, Editor + .............................................................................. AMATEUR RADIO “COMMUNITY SITE” eHAM.NET IS ON LINE ARRL Letter, 18/36, 10 September 1999 Dubbed an Amateur Radio “community site,” eHam.net, debuted September 2 at http://www.eHam.net. “eHam.net can best be described as a community of ham radio operators from all over the world,” said Bill Fisher, W4AN, one of the amateurs behind the new site. He says the site isamong other thingsaimed at giving hams a place to share ideas through a chat program, as well as to contribute news, buy and sell, take practice exams, see equipment reviews, and get propagation information and DX spots. eHam.net includes a call sign server. Users will be able to add an email address, Web site address, personal biography, and picture. Search tools will allow users to find community members with the same ham radio interests. The site also includes an unlimited number of realtime chat rooms. eHam.net also offers free ads to buy, sell or swap online. The eHam.net “Detective” search tool lets users find ham radio information on the Web. “We have indexed all of the archived mailing lists at contesting.com, qth.net, and others to provide you with one place to search for answers to your questions,” Fisher said. The site also lets users view DX spots from all over the world and locate QSL managers quickly. A “Friends Remembered” department lets hams post reminiscences of Silent Keys. The site also includes various Amateur Radiorelated links. The site includes news items from the ARRL and other sources. In addition to Fisher, others behind eHam.net include Randy Thompson, K5ZD, Garth Hitchens, KG7GA, and Trey Garlough, N5KO. ................................................................................ SHORTWAVE From JD Linn, KC0BD.”Here is a list list of Ham’s that were at the Vee several weeks ago: KC0BD, KF8UN, N0AB, K0VL, KC0VLP, WB0EEE, K0TLQ, N0APJ, WB0NQM, KC0FSK, N0SIH, KB0JUO. Also Vicky and her hubby Dave was there. Doris and I went to Minden, Nebraska to the pioneer Village. I have been there about three timesand it is a very nice place to go and I will probley go again , but not soon . Planning to go on a fishing trip the last week in October, Got my Hammerland HQ145 up and running now. SHORTWAVE 10 Meter Slow Speed CW originating from Kansas City area each evening at 7:30 p.m. local time on 28.125. SHORTWAVE Welcome New Members. . . We welcome the following two new members who joined our group at the September 1999 meeting: Otto Koudelka, OE6OKG, 2300 wakarusa Drive, Apt. K4, Lawrence, KS 66047, koudelka@eecs.ukans.edu, Phone: 7499372 Matt Hilt, KB0WDV, 208 Woodgate, Lawrence, KS 66049, Phone: 8414303 .............................................................................. AMATEUR RADIO TESTS When? 3rd Saturday of each month at 09:30 a.m. Where? Johnson County Community College, ITC Building, Room 185 NO preregistration required. For more information call Jim Lee, N0KCB, 9136852904 Jim Hundley, K0GLK, 9134916689 ùFrom Johnson County Radio Amateurs Club Newsletter, Bill Epperson, WB+CEF, Editor + ................................................................................ FROM THE EDITOR Every now and then I experience real joy as your Editor and since a good part of my Amateur Radio activity is spent in producing this Newsletter, I thought I would share this with you. . About two months ago I discovered a great desktop software program that runs in windows (the previous one ran in DOS). The first issue produced using the new software (CompuWorks "Publisher 3") was September 1999. Not so strange was that no one mentioned the difference. Maybe the change was just too subtle since the general format was retained. The features of this program are more numerous than can be listed in this limited space. Photos can be embedded directly into the Newsletter rather than cutting and pasting them in. Notice the new club logo in the masthead on page 1. Type can be set in various shapes which allowed type to be set in a circle. There are over 50 fonts of "True Type" type faces available and they appear sharp compared to the ragged edges of the old software. A very pleasant surprise about "Publisher 3" is the price, only $19.95 plus $5.00 S&H--a real bargain! It is very user friendly in that you don't have to use it every day to remember all of the commands I finally found the special character "slashed O" so it now appears in this issue. Publisher 3 creates newsletters, brochures, flyers, invitations, and calendars, each with predesigned templates. If you are looking for a Windows compatible, inexpensive desktop publishing program, this is it. .............................................................................. IS IT TIME TO TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER? At a recent DQ lunch a member presented an interesting question, "What would Amateurs talk about if we avoided any conversation about computers?" Since that question was raised I have become aware that computers appears to be the number one topic followed by health topics (no scientific basis on this) and somewhere along the line a few conversations concerning amateur radio. The following article reminded me about the comments made at DQ and admittedly some of them hit pretty close to home--Editor IT IS TIME TO TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER IF . . . 1) You wake up at 3 am to go to the bathroom and stop to check your email on the way back to bed. 2) You name your first two children “Eudora” and “Dotcom.” 3) You turn off your modem and get this awful empty feeling, as if youÆd just pulled the plug on a loved one. 4) You spend half of the plane trip with your laptop on your lap and your child in the overhead compartment. 5) You decide to stay in college for an additional year or two, just for the free Internet access. 6) You laugh at people with 14.4baud modems. 7) You start using smileys in your snail mail. 8) You find yourself typing “com” after every period when using a word processor.com 9) You can’t call your mother; she doesn’t have a modem. 10) You check your mail. It says no new messages; so you check it again. 11) You don’t know what gender three of your closest friends are, because they have neutral screen names and you never bothered to ask. 12) You move into a new house and decide to Netscape before you Landscape. 13) You tell the cab driver you live at http://1000.garden/house/brick.html 14) You start tilting your head sideways to smile. 15) After reading this message, you immediately email it to a friend. Supplied by Pete, KC3TL, From Amsoft Newsletter via W3OK Corral, Newsletter of DelawareLehigh ARC, Inc., Clarence Snyder, W3PYF, Editor. ------------------------END--------------------------