!T h e F e e d l i n e!March!2015!

Newsletter of the Saskatoon Amateur Radio Club Celebrating over 80 Years of Service

Club Email!ve5aa@rac.ca!!

Club Repeater!VE5SK 146.64-

!Club Website!

http://ve5aa.dyndns.org!

The Saskatoon Amateur Radio Club is a great way to become acquainted with amateur radio. Our club has much to offer the beginner, as well as the seasoned veteran. Please join us at an upcoming m e e t i n g o r f o r o u r Saturday breakfast, and discover the SARC.!

This Month • February minutes!• Vintage Radio Quiz!• Dealing with RFI!• Burying Radials!• Cat’s Whisker!• 100th Birthday!• Wayback Time Machine!• Announcements, etc.!!

Saskatoon Amateur Radio Club!

326 Anderson Crescent!

Saskatoon, Sk !S7H 4A3

From the Editor’s Desk!

The ARRL reports Amateur Radio growth in the US continues to soar.!

At the end of 2014, the total number of radio amateurs in the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) database reached an all-time high of 726,725!

The trend has continued in the first 2 months of 2015, which saw the ham population rise to slightly more than 727,000.!

Outside of a little dithering last fall, growth in the Amateur Radio Service in 2014 was steady.!

I would imagine that the number of radio amateurs in Canada also continues to grow. In the past 5 years, SARC classes have graduated a fair number of amateurs.!

After getting their license, it is important to get these new hams involved in club activities and to maintain contact with them. A fair number of amateurs leave the hobby due to work and/or family commitments. Many return later when things settle down. Last week I had the opportunity to tall with a ham down here in the Southwest US who returned to the hobby after an almost 40 year absence. He had recently retired from a career as an electrical engineer and manager. He was pleasantly surprised at the modern technology driven hobby, and the various forks in the road that he could take with amateur radio. Another comment was that there was something in radio for everyone. And there really is something in radio for everyone. All aspects of the hobby are open to all and equally fascinating. !

For the DXer’s in the club who are chasing the hard to find places, I hope you were able to make contact with K1N…..definitely a rare one. !

There are many ways for become involved with and help your club. We still need coordinators for a number of events the club is involved with. Approach another club member and together volunteer to look after planning one of the events. Two people sharing the work will make it much easier. Volunteer to do a presentation after a monthly meeting. Volunteer for a public service event. Jump in, help out!!

Have a great week!!

mailto:ve5aa@rac.cahttp://ve5aa.dyndns.orgmailto:ve5aa@rac.cahttp://ve5aa.dyndns.org

COFFEE Haywood’s Restaurant !Saturdays 9:00 AM !3016 Arlington Avenue

South of Alvin Buckwold School !Everyone is welcome. Hams, non-Hams, it doesn’t matter.

We’re there to have good conversation with good friends.

Come on out and visit! Committees Repeaters Bruce, VE5BNC Property and Assets Club Executive Training Coordinator Ron, VA5RJF Public Service Club Executive Sick and Visiting Club Members Field Day Vacant Elmer Ken, VE5KRB Trailer Club Members Space Club Mike, VE5MIK, Al, VE5MDC SARC Net John, VE5SJA Feedline Mike, VE5MIK Web-site Terry, VE5TLC Bruce, VE5BNC 50/50 Draw Terry, VE5TLC Little Bear Lake Ken, VE5KRB Amateur Radio/Physics Research Station

Any items for Swap ‘n Shop in the Feedline contact VE5MIK.

Contact Bruce, VE5BNC, or Terry, VE5TLC to put the items on the club

website.

Next Club Meeting

March 12

7:00 P.M.

Cliff Wright Branch Library!

Meeting Room!1635 McKercher Drive!(Lakewood Civic Center)

The Feedline is the official publication of the Saskatoon Amateur Radio Club. This is your newsletter! Amateur radio information of general interest, club member project descriptions and doings, radio applications to other activities, corrections, or suggestions are all welcome.

If you wish to contribute articles, photos, comments, cartoons or perhaps you want to let your fellow members know about some rare DX contact you have made, or pictures of your shack or antenna installation, or anything else that interests you, then please submit these to the editor at mluciuk@gmail.com

President!Garry Schwartz! VE5SG! 2013-2015!!Vice-President!Sylvan Katz! ! VE5ZX! 2013-2015!!Treasurer!Terry Cutler! ! VE5TLC! 2014-2016!!Secretary!Ron Ford! ! VA5RJF! 2013-2015!!Directors!Lawrence Dobranski VA5LD! 2014-2016!Ken Bindle! ! VE5KRB! 2012-2015!Mike Luciuk! ! VE5MIK! 2014-2016!Ned Carroll! ! VE5NED! 2014-2016!

The mission of Saskatoon Amateur Radio Club is to enjoy amateur radio through the

development, promotion, and expansion of amateur radio in and around Saskatoon

mailto:mluciuk@gmail.commailto:mluciuk@gmail.com

L O C A L A R E A R E P E A T E R S!

VE5SK 146.640- Saskatoon, SARC VE5XW 146.730- Rock Point VA5LLR 145.390- Lizard Lake VE5ZH 147.270- 2 MHz offset, Saskatoon, Auto Patch VA5SV 145.330- (100) Ridge East of Saskatoon VE5RPD 145.190- Elbow/Davidson VE5CC 146.970- Saskatoon MARS Linked to VE5SKN, VE5DNA, & IRLP node 1360Link code 502*/503* VE5SKN 146.940- Saskatoon MARS. 100Hz tone on xmt only -Linked to VE5CC, VE5DNA and IRLP node 1360.

I R L P N O D E! 1360 Hard linked to VE5CC UHF Hub (444.975 +5M) & available to VE5CC, VE5SKN and VE5DNA VHF repeaters when linked.

A P R S 1 4 4 . 3 9 0!

VE5RHF Saskatoon DIGI VE5BNC-3 Saskatoon IGATE & SATGATE VE5XW-1 Rock Point VE5HAN-4 Hanley DIGI !

L O C A L & R E G I O N A L N E T S!

Sask. WX 80m 1400Z 3735 Khz ARES (Sun.) 80m 1430Z 3753 Khz Aurora 40m 2330Z & 0200Z 7055 Khz Manitoba 80m 0000Z 3747 Khz Montana Tfc 80m 0030Z 3910 Khz Sask. 80m 0100Z 3735 Khz

C O N T E S T S !!• ARRL Inter. DX Contest, SSB 0000Z, Mar 7 to 2400Z, Mar 8!• North American Sprint, RTTY 0000Z-0400Z, Mar 15!• CQ WW WPX Contest, SSB 0000Z, Mar 28 to 2400Z, Mar 29!

Be kind and respectful to your fellow hams. After all, without them, all you’d hear on the air is static.

Alberta 80m 0130Z 3700 Khz 80m YL Net 80m 0315Z 3755 Khz-Sundays B.C. 80m 0130Z 3729 Khz !SARC Local 2m 0200Z 146.640- Prince Albert 2m 0330Z 147.150+

Saskatoon and Area Frequencies, Nets, Contests, DXpeditions!

L I T T L E B E A R L A K E! •The LBL telemetry address is    dougf.no-ip.com/tlm/test2.txt •The 6 m. beacon address   dougf.no-ip.com/va5mg!

D X P E D I T I O N S!• Curacao Mar. 1 - 10, 2015 !

• Bonaire Mar. 1 - 12, 2015!

• Reunion Mar 19 - April 14, 2015!For a full list of DXpeditions see: Announced DXpeditions

For a full calendar of contests see: WA7BNM Contest Calendar

http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/contestcal.htmlhttp://dougf.no-ip.com/tlm/test2.txthttp://dougf.no-ip.com/va5mghttp://www.ng3k.com/misc/adxo.htmlhttp://www.ng3k.com/misc/adxo.htmlhttp://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/contestcal.htmlhttp://dougf.no-ip.com/tlm/test2.txthttp://dougf.no-ip.com/va5mg

February 13th, 2015 Meeting Minutes

Attendance: 12 members!!Regrets: none!!Minutes: Jan 8, 2015 as circulated in The Feedline!

A c c e p t a n c e : R o n ( V A 5 R J F ) /Lawrence(VA5LD)!!

Financial Report: Terry (VE5TLC) accounts are stable!

Acceptance: Ter ry (VE5TLC) /Ned (VE5NED)!!

Business Arising!!Repeater Reports: (various)!Rock point working , battery temp staying above freezing!Lizzard Lake ok!SK not switched over to the new Yaesu yet. This will happen in the near future.!!Ham Class Report: Ron (VA5RJF) !The students seem to be enjoying the class, but scheduling remains problematic.!!Garry (VE5SG) reported that a donation had been received from VE5FV (Heathkit HW100 with mobile power supply, National NC109 receiver, Realistic HTX 202 HT and misc homebrew)!A discussion followed. Consensus was that the equipment should be used for instruction.!!50-50 Draw: Ned (VE5NED) got $6.50!!Space Club request – 1 (maybe 2) for Sat Feb 28 9:00 – 12:00 Ned (VE5NED) and Terry (VE5TLC) volunteered to represent the Club in doing a communications presentation.!!MS Walkathon Coordinator: to replace Bruce – April 26 – Terry (VE5TLC) with assistance from Garry (VE5SG) and Bruce (VE5BNC)!!Saskatchewan Marathon – May 31 (big job is finding enough volunteers) – Terry (VE5TLC) will take on supervision Stu (VA5KAS) will help!

Fireworks festival in August – last weekend in August. Volunteers and a coordinator will be needed.!!Field Day Chair: To replace John (VE5SJA) – position will remain vacant for now.!!New Business:!An offer of a DMR (digital mobile radio) presentation was received from from VA3XFT. The group was not clear on what was being offered. It was suggested that we refer him to the RAC symposium.!!Adjournment at 20:25 Ned (VE5NED)

Amateur Radio Quiz: Vintage Radios! !By H. Ward Silver, N0AX!!Who can resist taking a long look at the vintage veterans sitting along the aisles of the flea markets? Hey, I’m talking about the radios, not the attendees! “Big iron” is making its comeback with Johnsons and Hallicrafters and Swans shoulder-to-shoulder at the hamfests. Before you test your lumbar regions by lugging one home, you might want to exercise your antique assessment skills first!!!1) Which of these is most likely to need replacement in a vintage radio?!a. Dial cord!b. Dial lights!c. Bypass capacitors!d. Power cord!!2) Which company manufactured the “lunchbox” radios?!a. Gonset!b. Drake!c. Johnson!d. Heathkit!!3) Which company proclaimed “the quality goes in before the name goes on?”!a. McMurdo-Silver!b. Zenith!c. RCA!d. Magnavox!!4) Why are sweep tubes generally held in low regard as ham-band final amplifiers?!a. They run too hot.!b. They are expensive.!c. They were only good for video signals.!d. They often create excessive distortion products if not run linearly.!!5) What is the meaning of “NOS?”!a. New old stock!b. Not often salvageable!c. Never on Sunday!d. Needs operating savvy!!6) A “swinging link” was found in what part of vintage radios?!a. Balanced feed line outputs!b. Crystal oscillator tuning!c. Receiver interstage selectivity!d. Grounding chains!!!!!

7) What did a “Q multiplier” do?!a. Increased sensitivity!b. Decreased VFO warm-up time!c. Increased selectivity!d. Decreased loss in transmitter output circuits!!8) Which of these accessories was likely to be “high-Z?”!a. Keying circuit!b. Headphones!c. Rectifier output!d. Cathode follower output!!9) Which of these tubes was a very popular transmitter “final” still in use today?!a. OC4!b. 5996!c. 6146!d. 5U4!!10) Mercury vapor was used in what vintage component?!a. Thermal cutoffs!b. Rectifier tubes!c. Grid leaks!d. Q36 modulators!!Bonus Question: Why do you smell a vintage radio?!!!Answers:!1. c -- The wax-and-paper versions are usually goners if they haven’t already been replaced.!2. d -- The “Twoer,” “Sixer” and “Tener” put a lot of budget-minded hams on the VHF bands.!3. b -- Transoceanics are perhaps the best known of Zenith’s shortwave all-band receivers.!4. a -- But they were cheap!!5. a -- NOS refers to tubes and components that are still in their original shipping boxes.!6. a -- A swinging link is a technique used for coupling single-ended transmitter outputs to balanced feed lines.!7. c -- Q multipliers reduced the bandwidth of the IF stage to which it was attached.!8. b -- High-impedance headphones were used to avoid loading audio outputs.!9. c -- The 6146 was the most popular transmitter output tube for years -- and is still available.!10. b -- The purple glow and flicker lent a certain mystery to power supply operation.!!Bonus Answer: To see if anything has burned up! The scent of toasted transformer is particularly troublesome.!

Dealing with Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) for Dummies.

We are blessed (in Nova Scotia, at least) by having a power company that takes a genuine interest in solving the types of interference problems generated by their power distribution system, however they cannot work miracles. The chances of having these types of problems solved increase by an order of magnitude if the radio amateur operator does the initial localization of the noise source. The process of narrowing down such noise sources does not necessarily involve exotic electronics or complicated procedures. It does, though, require a scientific approach and plenty of common sense.

The following simple instructions are based on real-world experience in locating electrical power distribution system noise sources. While the instructions below are aimed at locating that specific type of problem, the techniques are applicable to noises generated by sources other than those from your local power company (e.g., the electric fence operated by the writer’s neighbour’s farm).

Caveat: Electrical noises do not necessarily radiate from the source. Sometimes the noise will be generated in one location but propagate along power feeders and begin the actual emission into the aether at some other place such as, say, a guy cable on a power pole that is acting as an antenna. Good luck finding those sources.

Step 1 Keep a journal. In order to characterize intermittent noise, record the details of the noise every time it is encountered. Take those notes for as long as is necessary to be able to predict the conditions under which the will noise occur. That could take a month or more in some instances. Record day of the week, time of day at which the noise starts and goes away, season of the year, bands involved, description of noise (pulsing; continuous, etc), the relative noise strength as read off a receiver’s S-Meter, weather conditions (temperature and precipitation or lack thereof) and any other factors which might seem to be relevant. An amazing number of conclusions regarding the noise source can be drawn from this information alone. If nothing else it may help in determining if the noise source really is the power company or, rather, it is from your neighbour’s new plasma television.

Here is a simple example: One residential noise source tended to occur daily after 4:00 PM during the week, quit in the late evening, and be continuous all day long on the weekend. It was significantly more pronounced on very hot days. Conclusion: break down of an electrical insulator when people came home after school and after work and started turning on appliances, especially air conditioning units. The additional electrical load on the power distribution system was the trigger.

Step 2 Use your antennas – all of them – to try to determine the direction from which the noise is radiating. Rotating antennas and reversible Beverages and K9AY loops are invaluable in assessing the compass heading to the noise source.

Step 3 When you are experiencing the noise in the station, go to your car, turn the radio on to the broadcast band (AM), and start driving in ever-expanding circles around your station. You will hear some pretty loud and disturbingly strong noises from lots of places but when you come to the noise source you are looking for, there will be little mistaking it. It will stand out from the crowd. This will narrow down the general location of the noise source.

Step 4 Once you have the general area, walk around with a battery-powered HF (short wave) receiver with a whip antenna to try to narrow down, even more, the area located in Step 3. Tune the radio to the worst band as identified in your station.

Step 5 Once the general area of the noise source is known, then take a hand-held Radio capable of operating in the VHF AM air-traffic control band, say at about 135 MHz, and walk the area. No self-respecting noise source will escape the attention of this device. That technique can prove accurate to the point where one can identify the pole or other component from which the noise is actually radiating. Record the location and pole number.

Step 6 It may be assumed that that an arcing noise source will produce audible noise as well as electrical noise. There are inexpensive ultrasonic noise detectors on the market place that can hear that noise. Even the cheap ones will be accurate enough to point to the actual component from which acoustic noise is coming. Find one of those ultrasonic receivers and when you are not listening for “bats”, repeat Step 5 with it as a means of even more accurate localization or at least corroboration of what has been surmised up to this point.

When and only when these steps have been carried out, document all of those findings in a simple report and contact the Engineering department of your local power company and forward them the report. Industry Canada provides a list of contact numbers for power companies across Canada – http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf10641.html. The person assigned the RFI sniffing task will then want to meet with you and visit the source that you have tentatively identified. They have much better test equipment than most hams and will be able to verify or reject your conclusions. If you are lucky, you will have found the exact source, the power company engineer will agree with it, and he or she will then raise a work order to have the noise corrected. That can take a while (two or three weeks).

If it is determined that the RF noise is not being generated by the power company, then you are faced with attempting to fix the noise problem through dealings with the private or business owner from whence the noise is coming. The proper means of dealing with interferences under those conditions are well documented by organizations such as Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC). Stated in simple terms, it may be the other guy’s fault but resolution is quite likely to be up to your own initiative. Patience and a level temperament will prove critical.

Summary: Identifying noises sources is a process of deductive Sherlock Holmes work followed by localization using tools readily available to most hams. Resolution is significantly more likely if you can do the preliminary work to identify the source and location of the noise. NSP will love you for it.

Gary Bartlett - VE1RGB

Tech Teaser !Joe's HT battery pack is rated at 9.6 volts and 1200 mAh. If Joe's pack is fully charged, what is its voltage just after he takes it off the charger? (answer upside down on bottom of page)!

A. 9.6 volts!

B. B. 11.8volts!

C. C. It depends on the temperature of the pack !

D. D. 10.4 volts!

1

BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

AMATEUR RADIO FOR SOUTHWEST HOUSTON AND FORT BEND COUNTY

NOVEMBER 2014 VOLUME 38 ISSUE 11

BVARC NOVEMBER GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING 7:30 PM, Thursday, November 13, 2014

2511 Eldridge Rd, Sugar Land, 77478, Eldridge Park Conference Center

Chili Cook-Off at the Polls As we close in on the end of the year the temperatures begin to fall, to the delight of many. With the falling temperatures comes the desire for hot chili. The desire for hot chili means that it is time for BVARC to hold a chili cook-off. This year, come to the November meeting with a pot that old family recipe. You could just find yourself leaving with the grand prize. If cooking up chili is not your thing, how about bringing a plate of cornbread. Also, don't forget that it is voting time. Offices in need of fresh perspective are: Vice President; Corresponding Secretary; Treasurer; the Two Year at Large Member: and the One Year at Large Member. If you are interested in any of these positions please notify Rick Hiller, W5RH, to have your name put on the ballot. Being a part of the BVARC board of directors is a great way to not only serve the club, but to be at the forefront of the direction that the club goes. Come and be a part of the vote, and come hungry.

October Meeting Recap – Ham Auction This past October was the second annual BVARC auction. There was a lot of great gear brought in for the auction and those who won their bid came away some great items at some great prices. The auction is still new for the club and we've learned something new each time that we've held it. We hope everyone enjoyed the auction. Next year expect some more changes to make the third year even better than the last.

Hamfests

(within 200 miles of Houston) Hamfest info for the next few months. More information at: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests.html#listing

11/08/2014 | 16th Annual South Texas Hamfest Location: Aransas Pass, TX Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: South Texas Amateur Radio Club (STARC) Website: http://www.southtexashamfest.org 01/10/2015 | San Antonio Radio Club Fiesta Location: Schertz, TX Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: San Antonio Radio Club Website: http://w5sc.org

Answer to Tech Teaser!B and C are correct. The voltage of any chemical battery increases with temperature. If the cells in the pack are in the 85 to 95 oF range a fully charged cell measures about 1.48 volts when charging stops. The nominal voltage of NiCd and NiMH cells is 1.2 volts. Because the rated voltage of the pack is 9.6 volts we know there are eight series-connected cells inside. So 8 × 1.48 volts is 11.8 volts.!

How to Bury Radials!With summer “just around the corner”, it’s never too early to start thinking about antennas.!

So,  you have a ground-mounted vertical (or are thinking about it).  Good for you!  To make it work well, you’ll need radials, and quite a few of them.  Sure, some of the manufacturers say you don’t need them, but as others have noted, for the antenna to xmit well (avoiding ground losses), yes, you do need radials.!

Depending on your soil, getting the radials installed well — and I mean well enough so they survive the lawnmower — can be a challenge.!

Here in north Texas, with hard clay soils, I struggled.!

Yes, I tried the “staple them to the ground and the grass will grow over them” method.  It had limited success, as some of them popped up enough for Mr. Lawnmower to chew them up.  The Bermuda grass here seems to lift them more than bury them.  I needed a better (and easier) way.!

At the suggestion of NS1L (thanks Jim!), I decided to dig mini-trenches for the wire to go in.  He pointed out a nifty tool called the Black & Decker LE750 Edgehog landscape edger/trencher, available new at Amazon or reconditioned, also available at WalMart, Lowes, and Home Depot.  I decided to bite the bullet, and I’m glad I did.  What a neat little machine!  In trencher mode, it will dig a narrow trench, perfect for smallish wire, 1 to 1.5 inches deep, quickly, and with little effort, even in clay soils.!

 !

The soil should be moist, if possible — not wet, not overly dry — and a 50′ trench takes about 1 minute.  Most of my radials are 45-50′ — remember, buried radials are not tuned radials.!

Here is a short video of mine in action.  It was set on full depth (1.5″), and the dirt was a hair on the too-dry side, and remember this is hard clay soil. !

Then you can add the radial — push it into the trench just a bit, pressing some dirt on top of it every foot or so to help keep it down, then stomp on it a little, and although the narrow trench will be

visible for a while, it probably won’t take long for it to disappear. !

Hint: decide in advance how many radials you want, plan for where the trenches will be, and do them in order (in a circle).  Try to avoid going back and adding more in between existing ones, because it is too easy to hit one of the existing ones, especially if it has already disappeared. !

Wow, what a time and back-saver this thing is!!

(You can see how I attached the radials to the base of the antenna on my 6BTV page.  I have about 25 radials under it, most of them about 50′ long.  Sentimental note:  my first 40m dipole as Novice in 1978 — the antenna I used for my very 1st QSO — had been taken down years ago, but kept in storage — both halves of it now serve as two of the radials under my 6BTV.)!

73, Dave, N0RQ

1

BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

AMATEUR RADIO FOR SOUTHWEST HOUSTON AND FORT BEND COUNTY

NOVEMBER 2014 VOLUME 38 ISSUE 11

BVARC NOVEMBER GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING 7:30 PM, Thursday, November 13, 2014

2511 Eldridge Rd, Sugar Land, 77478, Eldridge Park Conference Center

Chili Cook-Off at the Polls As we close in on the end of the year the temperatures begin to fall, to the delight of many. With the falling temperatures comes the desire for hot chili. The desire for hot chili means that it is time for BVARC to hold a chili cook-off. This year, come to the November meeting with a pot that old family recipe. You could just find yourself leaving with the grand prize. If cooking up chili is not your thing, how about bringing a plate of cornbread. Also, don't forget that it is voting time. Offices in need of fresh perspective are: Vice President; Corresponding Secretary; Treasurer; the Two Year at Large Member: and the One Year at Large Member. If you are interested in any of these positions please notify Rick Hiller, W5RH, to have your name put on the ballot. Being a part of the BVARC board of directors is a great way to not only serve the club, but to be at the forefront of the direction that the club goes. Come and be a part of the vote, and come hungry.

October Meeting Recap – Ham Auction This past October was the second annual BVARC auction. There was a lot of great gear brought in for the auction and those who won their bid came away some great items at some great prices. The auction is still new for the club and we've learned something new each time that we've held it. We hope everyone enjoyed the auction. Next year expect some more changes to make the third year even better than the last.

Hamfests

(within 200 miles of Houston) Hamfest info for the next few months. More information at: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests.html#listing

11/08/2014 | 16th Annual South Texas Hamfest Location: Aransas Pass, TX Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: South Texas Amateur Radio Club (STARC) Website: http://www.southtexashamfest.org 01/10/2015 | San Antonio Radio Club Fiesta Location: Schertz, TX Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: San Antonio Radio Club Website: http://w5sc.org

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=black+decker+le750http://youtu.be/4wN1xgbD2NEhttp://www.powerlinenoise.com/n0rq/6btv-mod/http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=black+decker+le750http://youtu.be/4wN1xgbD2NEhttp://www.powerlinenoise.com/n0rq/6btv-mod/

So, how many hams can explain what a Cat’s Whisker is? !

During World War II, amateur (ham) radio operators were enlisted into service in the military. Hungry for news from home, wanting to know what was going on along the front, and hopeful to hear a glimpse of what the enemy might be up to, they began to use their radio knowledge to fabricate radios out of what they had around them. This became the beginnings of the Signal Corps.!!They knew that having a diode meant the difference between having or not having the ability to detect a radio signal. As of yet, a method of mass manufacturing of semiconductor diodes had not been invented, and tubes were not available on the front line. They didn't have access to materials they had at home, like pyrite, galena, or silicon, and 30 gauge phosphor bronze wire - so they got inventive.!!With knowledge that many different crystalline materials have semiconductive qualities (the ability to rectify - or turn AC into DC), they embarked on a path to find what they had around them that they could use. The oxides of metals are crystalline in form, and many metals have oxides (rusts) that have the ability to rectify. They tested with sardine cans, forks and knives. What they found to be most effective out of what they had - was the "Gillette Blue Blade Razor" - a commonly used razor blade at the time.!!The inexpensive steel razor blades (which in the rigours of war get rusty) would have blue oxidized spots on them. If they took a fine piece of wire (usually copper or steel) and coiled it in such a way that it acted as a weak spring, then touched the pin-point tip of that spring to JUST THE RIGHT SPOT (more luck than skill was involved), it would act as a diode.!!

The crystallized blue metal oxide surface was actually a semiconductive surface, and they simply needed to make contact exactly correctly in order to obtain a "junction". Only certain places on the crystal would function as a rectifying junction, and the exact geometry and pressure of the contact between the wire and the crystal was important. Mostly by trial and error, a usable point was eventually found, and because it required much patience, they developed a way to make the chore easier.!!Using a thin but springy wire (brass bristles out of a brass brush were found to be the best in the foxholes, because they worked well and were plentiful) a "whisker" was bent and screwed down to (usually) a piece of wood. The other end of the "spring" would be bent in such a way that it would just barely come into contact with the razor blade. If you moved the razor blade under the spring, eventually it would come into contact just exactly right - and then you didn't touch it, or everyone in your foxhole would beat the crap out of you, because a good contact could be lost by even the slightest vibration. For reason of description, the contact was commonly called a Cat's Whisker, although the correct term would be a "Point Contact Diode", and only once semiconductors began to be more widely studied, did it become known as the Schotkey Barrier Diode.!

!Over the years, many different kind of materials were used in the Point Contact or Cat's Whisker diodes, to include pyrite (fool's gold), galena (lead sulphide), and graphite.


100th Birthday!100th Birthday party for Wilma Smith, VE5WS, in Outlook on February 21. One of the original members of the Rock Point Repeater Club.!

Thanks for those who came to celebrate her birthday. She says it was a real surprise.

SARC Wayback Time Machine

If you have a picture or a ham radio related story from WAYBACK, or not so wayback, send it in

and we’ll put it in the Feedline.

Radio Shack . . . . not what it once was. This past month, it filed for bankruptcy protection.

SARC Important Dates!

March 12! ! Club Meeting!April 9! ! Club Meeting!April 26! ! MS Walk!May 14! ! Club Meeting!May 31! ! Sask. Marathon!June 11! ! Club Meeting!June 27/28! ! ARRL Field Day!July 4, 5! ! Saskatchewan Hamfest

A N N O U N C E M E N T S, NEWS, ETC.Revised ARRL HF Contesting Guidelines at:!

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Contest%20-%20General/HFContestingGuidlines_201411.pdf

High Altitude Ballooning, From The Ground Up (and back again)!Radio amateur Dave Akerman M0RPI has published an article which covers just about everything you need to know about High Altitude Ballooning (HAB)Read Dave's article at http://www.daveakerman.com/?p=1732!

To get up-to-date information on balloon flights subscribe to the UKHAS Mailing List by sending a blank email to this address: ukhas+subscribe@googlegroups.com!

Follow balloon chat on the #high altitude IRC channel at http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=highaltitude!

MS Walk Saskatoon

Sunday, April 26!Location: Archibald Arena, 1410 Windsor St.!Check-in Time: Sunday 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.!Start Time: 10:00 a.m.!Route Length(s): 6 k

Ham Radio V

olunteers N

eeded!

SARC Ham Radio Class & Meeting Schedule with Locations!Club meeting on March 12 at the Cliff Wright Library!

Club meeting on April 9 at the Cliff Wright Library!

Club meeting on May 14 at the Cliff Wright Library

Classes: March 12, 19, and 26 at the Cliff Wright Library!

April 2 class will be at McClure United Church.

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Contest%20-%20General/HFContestingGuidlines_201411.pdfhttp://www.daveakerman.com/?p=1732http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=highaltitudehttp://www.daveakerman.com/?p=1732http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=highaltitudehttp://www.arrl.org/files/file/Contest%20-%20General/HFContestingGuidlines_201411.pdf

MEEWASIN AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY

SASKATCHEWAN HAMFEST 2015

July 3 to 5, 2015 Martensville

(Northridge Community Centre – 901 3rd Street North)

SAVE THE DATE and plan to attend the Saskatchewan Hamfest 2015 taking place in Martensville from July 3 to 5, 2015.

RADIO AMATEURS OF CANADA (RAC) AGM; we are happy to report that the Radio Amateurs of Canada has chosen to have us host the AGM for 2015. For members or non-members, see what your national representative organization has been up to and interact with the RAC Executive and volunteers.

SASKATCHEWAN AMATEUR RADIO LEAGUE (SARL) AGM;

Saskatchewan is the only province outside of Quebec that has a provincial organization left. Support SARL by attending the AGM and get involved!

D-STAR TRAINING CLASS; Friday night will not only be a meet and greet event, but for those that want to learn more of D-STAR, it is a great opportunity to take in the optional D-STAR Class. More details to follow.

ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET; After the busy program on Saturday, sit down and relax to a home cooked meal and enjoy the awards presentations and keynote.

TALK-IN: FM VE5CC 146.970 (-600) 100.0HZ T FM VE5MBX 145.450 (-600) 114.8HZ T DV VA5DR B 448.125 (-5M) DV VE5MBX B 449.500 (-5M)

COORDINATES: 52.295542N, 106.649443W

www.saskatoon-dstar.ca

SARL AGM RAC AGM Flea Market D-STAR Class Technical Presentations IRLP Class Door Prizes Radio Raffles Vendor HF Station Talk-In Station Displays Special Guests

Hotel & Camping

Information Coming Soon!!!!

WHAT’S HAPPENING?