Issued December 2013 Issue No. 48

Club Website: www.qsl.net/k7jar

S-Meter e-mail: parcnews@hotmail.com

Club Repeater: Output 146.62 MHz; Input 146.02 MHz, No Tone

Next Meeting Friday January 17th 2014

Meeting QTH is: Walnut and Hawthorne Street in Colville

(Across from the city park and Colville Junior High School)

First Saturday of each month join the group for breakfast at the American Legion Hall in Chewelah 9:00 am

CLUB NET: Sunday Evenings 8:00p.m. Local

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From Our President

Announcements

Welcome Tom KE7TEG as our new President for 2014

Let’s get those club dues paid – see page 12 if you need the application form. Information on the Wilse Morgan NW Division scholarship is here: http://www.arrl.org/Groups/view/eastern-washington

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Highlights of the December meeting

and Annual Christmas Party....

As usual the Christmas Party was enjoyable. 30 members and guests attended.

There was plenty of good food. Thanks to all those who cooked the food and to

Debbie KF7GUB for coordinating the event.

Treasurer's Report – PARC fund $9,810.03.

Don't forget to pay your membership dues. Thank you to Randy N7CKJ, who keeps excellent

track of the club's spending, CDs, checking, and savings accounts.

ARES – Dave absent. No report given

PARC Net – George thanked all those who have volunteered in 2013 to be Net

Control for the Sunday night net: Jim W7WDD, Cynthia WW7CA, Courtney

KE7ZDL, Donna KF7UIM, Karl WX7DX, and George W7WBN.

Board Report - “Carry on”...Bruce's admonishment! FYI Jim WW7DD now takes a

place on the Board after serving as President.

Announcements ARRL Wilse Morgan WX7P Scholarship Fund –

Randy read a “thank you” letter from

ARRL for Gimmie's AL7LB generous

contribution to this scholarship.

Sam KE7OIA of Republic lost his home (and radio

gear) in a house fire.

Tom KE7TEG ran into Kevin Clark KE7SBU.

Kevin expressed his gratitude for the

condolences sent by club members to him and his

family at the passing of his brother.

Old Business & New Business – None to report.

The gift exchange followed the meeting.

As a final note, I do want to encourage

someone to volunteer for the position of PARC

Secretary. This is a one year position, and an

important one. I will talk a little about what is

involved in being the club Secretary at our next

meeting....

HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you January 17

....Cynthia Frees WW7CA, Secretary

(Submitted by, Cynthia Frees WW7CA PARC Secretary)

Check out Jim & Cynthia’s radio

antenna it’s covered with

frost, is that not a cool

frozen pattern!

Great Pic!

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ARES Report by Dave - WD7K

ARES Net is every Sunday at 7:45pm local. The Stevens County ARES net can be heard on the 146.620 repeater located SW of Colville on Monumental Mountain and, when linked, the 147.060 repeater (which has a PL tone of 77.0) located NW of Spokane on Lookout Point. The Washington State Emergency Net (WSEN) – anyone with HF privileges is welcome (encouraged) to check in, when Stevens County is called. Saturdays at 0900 on 3985 kHz and on Mondays at 0530 also on 3985 kHz.

Dave Klimas - WD7K Stevens County ARES Emergency Coordinator H (509) 738-6876 C (509) 675-8843 wd7k@gotsky.com

PARC Sunday Night Net

Thanks for another great year on the PARC Sunday Night Net. We had lots of good sessions and look forward to many more this New Year. During the long winter months we tend to have more participation, since more members and visitors are spending Sunday nights at home. Come on, get on the air and join your friends discussing club and other ham activities.

A special thanks to all the Net Control Operators who greatly supported the Sunday Night Net during 2013. They include Cynthia WW7CA, Jim WW7DD, Courtney KE7ZDL, Donna KF7UIM and Karl WX7DX. We welcome Donna KF7UIM back into the rotation. She will start again in February so please give her all the support you can. If you want to give your hand a try at Sunday night Net Control send George an e-mail at audax@gotsky.com

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PARC BIO –December 2013 – sorry nobody stepped forward this month.

Alberto heading for

Christmas party on

Base. This was taken

outside his barracks

which look just like the

one across the street in

this photo.

The cane was not just

for show – he actually

sprained his ankle

playing basketball.

But all is healed now.

Where is he?

Alberto is still on base in Okinawa Japan

The holidays have slowed things down

He was granted liberty to leave the base for three days, with three of his

Buddies they stayed in the City of Naha and rang in the New Year!

Happy Holidays to all!

Updated Mailing Address: LCPL Gomez, Alberto

3D MLG CLR- 37 MT HQ

Unit #38404

FPO AP 96380-8404

Jim-WW7DD watches for that first bike! Jim WW7DD awaits that first bike!

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“Best Decorated Table”

Jim & Linda Tills!

PARC CHRISTMAS PARTY 2013

The arrival

For the

Christmas Party

Everyone setting

up their table for

the “Best

Decorated Table

Contest”

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Janie KF7DQZ Won the

gift basket raffle

Randy N7CKJ hands

John KL7LL

The Gift Certificate

For the HRO Raffle!

The Gift Exchange

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I think everyone had a great time, I know I did, and I hope everyone left with a full belly and a nice Christmas surprise. A big thank you for all who helped set-up and clean-up. Thank you Janie KF7DQZ for being my right hand – you are a great help!

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The Radio Corner by Jim W7JWT

A couple months ago, several club members came over to our house for a social get together.

Debbie was impressed on how much stuff I had collected over the years and asked if I would

write articles on some of my ham radios and Zenith Transoceanic portables. I said sure, so here goes.

I’m going to start with some ham equipment that I repaired and got on the air for the first time in Dec 2013. It

has the most historical significance of anything in my collection. It is the Collins 75A-4 receiver and KWS-1

transmitter.

They were made by the Collins Radio Company of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and introduced in 1955. (From what I

can tell, mine was manufactured in 1957). They were designed to operate using the then new single-sideband

(SSB) voice modulation as well as CW and AM modes. The KWS-1 transmitter along with the 75A-4 receiver,

together, cost over $2500 when new (equivalent to over $20,000 in 2012 dollars). Ham radio enthusiasts

nicknamed the pair "The Gold Dust Twins," as they were unaffordable to most ham radio operators.

Both radios used vacuum tubes and employed Collins innovations including mechanical filters and permeability

tuned oscillators. The latter alters the resonant frequency of a circuit by moving a ferrite powder core in and out

of the tuning coil using a lead screw. The KWS-1 final amplifier uses a pair of 4X250 power tubes and operated

at a power input of one kilowatt, the maximum allowed under FCC regulations at the time. The transmitter

appearance matched the receiver, but its high voltage power supply was packaged in a separate pedestal. With

the high power transmitter a hefty power supply was needed. A special squirrel cage air blower is mounted

inside the power supply and cools the transmitter’s two 4X250 tubes using a radiator hose connected between

the two pieces. The transmitter and power supply weigh in at 210 pounds.

History:

Single Sideband popularity started in the early 1950s. By April 1953 QST had reported a tally of over 300 US

sideband stations active, and the first two-way 75 meter sideband transatlantic QSO. In Nov 1956, QST

reported the first sideband awards for WAC and WAS. The first sideband DXCC had been accomplished a year

earlier.

In the mid-1950s, hams and amateur sideband had a hand in altering the course of the Cold War. General Curtis

LeMay, W6EZV, was Commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), charged with deterrence of the Soviet

nuclear threat. LeMay became aware of the successes of SSB, and in 1956 undertook flights where SSB was

put to the test. Standard 75A-4s and KWS-1s were installed in the passenger compartment of both General

LeMay’s C97 and General Partridges DC-6 aircrafts. The operator was Art Collins himself, W0CXX, founder

of Collins Radio. These aircraft and subsequently others were then flown throughout the North Polar Region,

the Far East, Europe, and Africa communicating reliably with North American test sites. In 1957, the 75A-4 and

KWS-1 were formally adopted by SAC for use in its new B-52 bombers.

Restoration:

The restoration of my 75A-4 and KWS-1 took several months to complete. The receiver was generally working.

It needed replacement of a few tubes and all the electrolytic and paper capacitors. A complete realignment was

then accomplished. The KWS-1 needed more work. I bought it as not working at a swap meet in Sioux City, IA.

A wife of a SK was selling it. I was told it had garbled transmit. I first repaired obvious problems. The in-line

bypass capacitor on the 2000VDC supply between the PS and transmitter was shorted. Various tubes were bad.

I also assumed the 4X250s were toasted. The fan blower would not rotate (old grease in the bearings). All

electrolytic and paper capacitors had to go. Some other “bad actor” micas were also replaced. Any outstanding

service bulletins were implemented along with a variety of other maintenance items recommended by Collins

experts from The Collins Collectors Association (CCA). I completed realignment on it before I moved to

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Washington, but it was not put on the air until Dec 1st, 2013. On that date, the CCA was having their second

annual KWS-1 “Challenge” event where they wanted to see how many KWS-1s they could get to check into

their net. I, along with 17 others, checked in. I got E-Mails from hams in Nova Scotia and Georgia saying the

audio sounded great. I was very happy and relieved that the KWS-1 was ready to resume life for years to come.

So this is the story of my Collins 75A-4 receiver and KWS-1 transmitter, the classiest of all the equipment I

own. Any of you that would like to operate it, come on over. It is a complicated rig to run, but if you like to turn

lots of knobs, these are for you.

Collins KWS-1 Transmitter

Collins 75A-4 Receiver.

My Collins 75A-4 Receiver and KWS-1

Transmitter with Power Supply.

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Inside of the

KWS-1 Power

Supply

General Partridges at the controls of an

Air-mobile 75A-4 / KWS-1; installed in a DC-6.

Gene Senti, Collins Project Design Leader during the

transfer of the KWS-1 to production, inspects one of the

units. (Hope bout that test equipment?)

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Calendar of Events

January – 2014

1st Happy New Year! 4th ARRL RTTY Round-up 4th Testing session in Chewelah at the Abundant Life Church 11:45am – walk-in

4th Freeze Fest in Locust Fork Alabama & Ozark Mtn Hamfest in Brighton Missouri 5th Sunday Night Net – Net Control Operator – Karl WX7DX

10th NCCC Sprint Ladder 11th North American QSO Party, CW 11th Thunderbird Hamfest in Phoenix Arizona

12th Sunday Night Net – Net Control Operator – Cynthia WW7CA 17th ARRL January VHF Contest

17th PARC Meeting 7:30pm Corner Hawthorne & Walnut Colville – Diane Snacks 18th North American QSO Party, SSB 19th Sunday Night Net – Net Control Operator – Jim WW7DD

24th CQ 160-,eter Contest, CW 24th ESAR/Boy Scotts Klondike Derby

26th Sunday Night Net – Net Control Operator – George W7WBN 31st QRP Fox Hunt and NCCC Sprint Ladder 31st Southern Florida Section Convention (48th Annual South Florida Tropical Hamboree)

February – 2014 1st British Columbia QSO Party & Mexico RTTY International Contest 2nd North American Sprint, CW

2nd Sunday Night Net – Net Control Operator – Donna KF7UIM 8th CQ WW RTTY WPX Contest 8th SARL Field Day Contest

9th Sunday Night Net – Net Control Operator – Courtney KE7ZDL 14th Valentine’s Day

15th ARRL International DX Contest, CW 16th Mid-Winter Hamfest & Computer Show – http://W8WE.org 16th Sunday Night Net – Net Control Operator – Karl WX7DX

17th President’s Day 21st PARC Meeting 7:30pm Corner Hawthorne & Walnut in Colville – Snacks: Cynthia

22nd North American QSO Party, RTTY 23rd High Speed Club CW Contest 23rd Sunday Night Net – Net Control Operator – Cynthia WW7CA

o Calendar of events will be an ongoing part of the news letter, submit your dates to parcnews@hotmail.com

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K7JAR Panoramaland Amateur Radio Club Membership Application Welcome and thank you for supporting your local Amateur Radio association. Annual Club dues are $15.00 for individuals and $20.00 for a family (all must be living at the same address). Membership extends from January to January of each year. Annual dues that are paid after the 1

st of September will be applied

through the following year. If you would rather just donate toward our repeater fund, any amount would be gladly accepted. Please make sure to note this on your donation so that the money is applied to the right account. Please remit your payment, in person at a monthly meeting, via our Website (below), or by check, made out to PARC, mailed to the following address:

PARC P.O. Box 7 Colville, WA 99114 Name(s) ________________________________________________ Call Sign(s) ______________________________________________ Mailing Address _________________________________________________________________ City/State _____________________________________________________ Zip _______________________ Telephone __________________________________________ Amount Paid _________________________ Email Address _____________________________________ ARRL Member _______Yes/No__________________ The PARC maintains the 146.620 (77.0 Hz tone) repeater located on Monumental Mt., near Colville, WA. All licensed Amateur Radio operators are welcome to use this open repeater system. Your support would also be greatly appreciated. For more information, please contact Randy, N7CKJ, at (509) 684-3361; Dave, WD7K, at (509) 738-6786; Wilse, WX7P, at (509) 738-4246; or visit the PARC website at: http://www.qsl.net/k7jar/